Australia’s Online Regulator Urges Tech Giants to Disclose Information on Child Users
The eSafety commissioner is eager to understand how social media giants enforce age limitations.
Australia’s online regulator has requested social media companies to reveal the number of children using their platforms and how they are implementing age limits.
Eight companies have been given 30 days to respond to eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who will publish the findings.
The inquiry has been sent to Meta platforms Facebook and Instagram, YouTube owned by Google, TikTok backed by China, Snap, Reddit, Discord, and Twitch.
X, owned by Elon Musk, was not among the platforms contacted by Inman Grant.
She mentioned that introducing some form of age limit for social media could be considered.
“Imposing age limits is on the table, but we also need better information to understand what will be effective, what the unintended consequences could be, and we must absolutely support children in building their digital resilience and critical reasoning skills.”
Inman Grant mentioned that a significant conversation was happening about the potential “damaging effects” social media might have on children.
She explained that obtaining accurate data on the number of children on platforms and their ages was crucial for this conversation.
Commissioner Keen to Learn How Age Limits Work
The eSafety commissioner acknowledged that most platforms already set age limits, often at 13. However, she wants to know how these platforms detect and remove underage users and if age enforcement is effective.
“eSafety research also shows that almost a quarter of 8 to 10-year-olds said they used social media weekly or more often, while close to half of 11-to-13-year-olds said they used social media at the same rate,” she said.
“So, we know kids are finding ways around current measures to determine age, and we want to assess how far these companies need to go to implement robust and effective age assurance mechanisms,” she said.
Major Parties Back Social Media Age Limits
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has previously committed to introducing age verification for social media platforms.
Meanwhile, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas also revealed plans to impose a ban on all children under the age of 14 from accessing social media.
He appointed former Chief Justice of the High Court Robert French to explore the legal, regulatory, and technological paths for the ban.
“Like most parents, I am concerned about the impact social media is having on children in our community,” Malinauskas said.
