SYDNEY: Australia urged social media platforms on Tuesday to employ “minimally invasive” methods to check the age of users covered by its world-first teen social media ban, which take into account artificial intelligence (AI) and behavioral data.
Governments and tech firms worldwide are closely watching Australia’s effort to become the first country to block use of social media by those younger than 16, starting from December.
“eSafety recommends the most minimally invasive techniques available,” the Internet watchdog said in its guidance for firms to comply with the law passed in November.
Social media platforms are not required to conduct blanket age-verification as firms can use existing data to infer age reliably, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said.
“We know that they have the targeting technology to do this,” she told a media briefing.
“They can target us with deadly precision when it comes to advertising, certainly they can do this around the age of a child.”
She added, “Adults should not see huge changes ... it would be unreasonable if platforms re-verify everyone’s age.”
In July, Grant widened the ban to Alphabet-owned YouTube, following complaints by Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok about an earlier decision to exempt the video-sharing site popular with teachers.
Google and Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In February, eSafety said 95 percent of teenagers aged 13 to 15 reported using at least one social media platform since January 2024, but warned that the actual numbers could be much higher.
Federal Communications Minister Anika Wells urged “reasonable steps” by social media companies to detect and deactivate underage accounts, to prevent re-registration and provide an accessible complaints process for their users.
“We cannot control the ocean, but we can police the sharks and today we are making clear to the rest of the world how we intend to do this,” Wells told reporters.
There was no excuse for non-compliance, she added, as the platforms had the capability to do so, ranking among the world’s biggest and best-resourced companies.
Amid concern about the impact on young people’s mental health, Australia’s ban passed into law in November 2024, with companies given a year to adopt it, while facing a December 10 deadline to deactivate the accounts of underage users. ($1=1.4993 Australian dollars)
Australia wants ‘minimally invasive’ age checks under teen social media ban
https://arab.news/89c3g
Australia wants ‘minimally invasive’ age checks under teen social media ban
- Internet watchdog unveils guidance for tech firms
- Social media firms should use existing data to estimate age
- Blanket age verification process “unreasonable,” regulator says
Arab News wins 7 prizes at European Newspaper Awards, led by 50th anniversary coverage
- Anniversary special coverage and film won four Awards of Excellence across multiple categories
LONDON: Arab News won seven prizes at the 27th European Newspaper Awards — four for its 50th anniversary coverage and three for other projects — bringing its total to 160 awards since the 2018 relaunch.
The anniversary coverage earned an Award of Excellence in “Supplement for special occasions and anniversary editions,” plus wins in “Multimedia storytelling” for its special web section and two in “Film” and “Animated films” for its documentary.
Additional honors went to the “Spotlight — 2024 in Review” and “Opinion — 2024” print series in the “Sectional front pages nationwide newspaper” category, and a “Visualization” prize for an image from “Opinion — 2024.”
Launched in 1999 by organizer Norbert Kupper, the awards celebrate print and digital innovation. This year’s contest drew newspapers from 22 countries and more than 3,000 entries across 20 categories, despite fewer print submissions due to rising editorial collaborations.
“It’s testament to the skill, versatility and collaboration between the creative and editorial teams at Arab News that the seven awards at this year’s ENAs spanned print, digital and film categories,” commented Omar Nashashibi, head of creative design at Arab News. “These wouldn’t be possible without the world-class contributors we partner with, and the leadership, vision and support of Editor-In-Chief Faisal J. Abbas.”
Creative Director Simon Khalil called the film wins especially meaningful. “This recognition means a great deal because this film was never just about marking an anniversary, it was about capturing a defining moment in the evolution of Arab News and the region it represents.
“Telling the story, and drama of the 2018 relaunch, the digital transformation, and the courage to become ‘The Voice of a Changing Region’ was both a responsibility and a privilege.”
Past highlights include the “King Charles III Coronation” special coverage, “Kingdom vs. Captagon” investigation and FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022 special edition.
See more award-winning projects at arabnews.com/greatesthits.
