Meta, the tech giant behind Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, is sending messages to thousands of young Australians. They have two weeks to download their digital memories and decide whether to delete their accounts. This warning comes as Australia prepares to enforce a unique social media ban. Starting December 10, accounts for children under 16 will be restricted.
The Australian government recently announced that platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube must take steps to keep kids under 16 off their sites. Meta is the first to outline its plan to comply. From December 4, suspected young users will begin losing access to their accounts.
Meta’s decision affects around 350,000 Australians aged 13 to 15 on Instagram and about 150,000 on Facebook. They estimate that the majority of account holders are indeed older. Young users can use this time to save contacts and memories, or update their info to regain access once they turn 16.
Terry Flew, from the Sydney University Center for AI, Trust and Governance, notes that the facial-recognition technology used for age verification can fail up to 5% of the time. He emphasizes the need for reliable systems to verify age without relying on government IDs, which can be difficult to obtain.
The Australian government has warned tech companies that demanding proof of age from all users would be unreasonable. Instead, they believe these platforms already possess enough data to identify younger users.
If companies fail to comply, they could face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (around $32 million). Meta’s safety chief, Antigone Davis, argues for a more effective age verification system at the app download level, suggesting that Apple and Google should implement this process.
Dany Elachi, who leads a parents’ group advocating for responsible tech use, believes it’s crucial for parents to help their children adapt to new routines away from social media. He expressed disappointment over the delayed announcement of which platforms would be affected.
Elachi supports the idea that kids under 16 should engage more with the real world. He encourages parents to help their children explore new opportunities beyond screens. As social media evolves, these discussions highlight the importance of safeguarding young users while promoting healthy interactions with technology.
For further insights into the implications of these changes, you can read more from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
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