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🇸🇬 Singapore /Culture & Society

Social media firms urge caution on early Australia under-16 ban data

From The Straits Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Social media companies are cautioning Australia against over-reliance on early data regarding an under-16 ban.
  • Lawmakers are considering tougher penalties and expanded regulatory powers for social media platforms.
  • Companies argue that age verification technologies are still evolving and data may not accurately reflect underage usage.

Top social media platforms are urging the Australian government to exercise caution when interpreting early evidence about the effectiveness of its landmark under-16 ban. Lawmakers are currently weighing potential amendments that could significantly increase penalties for non-compliance and grant regulators broader investigative powers.

It is a point in time, it’s very early on, and we caution against over-reliance on that.

— Rachel LordYouTube’s head of government relations, Rachel Lord, told the inquiry, noting that the government’s latest published compliance data was from March.

Representatives from Google (YouTube), Meta (Facebook, Instagram), Snapchat, and TikTok faced a Senate inquiry, where they were pressed on studies indicating that around 80% of minors continue to use social media platforms months after the ban took effect in December. The companies contend that the data is preliminary and that age assurance technologies are still developing.

YouTube's head of government relations, Rachel Lord, noted that the government's latest compliance data was from March and emphasized that age verification technologies, often built around an 18-year-old cutoff, are still evolving to accurately detect users at the 16-year-old boundary. Meta's head of public policy, Mia Garlick, added that survey data can be challenging, and the information might not distinguish between users accessing a platform and those who actually possess an account.

There can be differences in terms of people accessing versus having an account.

— Mia GarlickMeta’s Australia head of public policy Mia Garlick told the inquiry.

Meta reported deactivating 756,000 Instagram and Facebook accounts suspected of belonging to underage users, an increase from March. Google deactivated about 740,000 Google accounts from being used for YouTube. TikTok stated it had removed 550,000 accounts when the law began and continues to remove approximately 24,000 monthly. The eSafety Commissioner is expected to testify later in August.

Sometimes survey data is challenging in terms of stated versus revealed.

— Mia GarlickMeta’s Australia head of public policy Mia Garlick told the inquiry.
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Originally published by The Straits Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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