Australia welcomes Apple child online safety tools
Apple CEO Tim Cook briefed Australia’s Prime Minister on new safety controls for children online.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has welcomed Apple’s new online safety controls for children, saying Apple CEO Tim Cook briefed him on the announcement.
According to Albanese, Cook said the changes were partly inspired by Australia’s under-16 social media age restrictions and by Apple’s continuing research into the impact of social media on children.
Albanese said Australia was proud of its work to support a safer online environment for children and argued that other countries are now developing similar social media age restrictions.
Cook invited Albanese to visit Apple during his next trip to the United States to see the technology in action. Albanese said he intended to accept the invitation as Australia continues to consider how best to protect children online.
The Prime Minister said Australian parents had led the push for stronger protections and that the government was backing their efforts. He said more than 5 million under-16 accounts had already been removed, deactivated, or restricted.
Albanese said social media companies have a social responsibility and that Australia would continue holding them to account to help keep children safe.
Why does it matter?
The announcement highlights how national online safety rules can shape platform design beyond a country’s borders. Australia’s under-16 social media restrictions have been closely watched internationally, and Albanese is presenting Apple’s new child safety tools as evidence that regulatory pressure can push major technology companies towards stronger child protection features. The case also shows the growing link between device-level controls, platform accountability, age assurance, and children’s digital rights.
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