Tim Cook Says Australia’s Social Media Ban Influenced Apple’s New Child Safety Features
Synopsis
Apple CEO Tim Cook has revealed that the company's latest child safety updates were partly inspired by Australia's under-16 social media ban. During a call with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Cook discussed new parental control tools that will help families manage children's app access, online activity, and screen time. The announcement comes as Australia continues implementing its social media age restrictions and reports more than 5 million under-16 accounts removed, restricted, or deactivated. Several countries are now considering similar measures as global attention grows around child safety and social media use.
Key Highlights
- Apple's CEO Tim Cook said Apple was inspired by Australia's under-16 social media ban.
- Apple unveils new child safety and parental controls features
- The comments came after Albanese had a personal telephone call with Cook.
- A number of other nations are now mulling over imposition of comparable age limits on social media platforms.
Tim Cook and Australian PM Anthony Albanese Tim Cook has revealed the respect tech giant Apple had for Australia's world-leading ban on under-16s social media access. He assured Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that Apple's latest measures to safeguard children were measured partly by the country's global leadership in child safety standards.
The comments were made on a personal phone call between the two leaders, where Cook updated Albanese about a handful of new tools to support more parental control and oversight in children's online behaviours.
Apple updated tools make it easy for parents to set up their kids' access to content, people they can talk with and when kids can use specific iOS apps was among Apple's updates. The updates that the company has announced include an easier setup process, important apps to download automatically, ask to browse, time allowances and a redesigned screen time.
Cook told the site the changes were prompted not only by Australia's social media age ban but Apple's continued research into how social media affects young people, Albanese said. The Prime Minister welcomed the announcement, saying he was pleased to see Australian governments were working on creating a child safer online environment.
Cook also urged Albanese to visit the Arctic Apple headquarters in Edmonton next time he is in the U.S. He said he planned to take up the invitation and talk about what more can be done to ensure children are not put at risk online.
Australia's social media restrictions were introduced after the Let Them Be Kids campaign. 10 major social media platforms comply with Australia on restricting use such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Although Albanese said more is still needed to be done, the government had already deleted, deactivated or restricted more than 5 million under-16 accounts.
He also stated that places like Malaysia, France and Spain were all now heading for their own social media age limits following Australia's stance.
Alongside the rollout, Apple has established a specific website for parents to learn about and use the new child safety settings. Apple Vice President of Health and Fitness Sumbul Desai said Apple believes that each child is different, and parents need straightforward, medically-validated tools to help guide their children's digital media content based on their developmental stage and at the same time foster healthy online behaviours.
Follow Inspirepreneur Magazine for daily global business news.
At Inspirepreneurs Magazine, covering entrepreneurship, business failures, and the human stories behind the world's most ambitious founders. She writes at the intersection of strategy and storytelling.
You Might Also Like
Novo cuts Wegovy prices with US subscription plan to counter Lilly
The Stages of Business Growth: From Survival to Strategic Leadership
