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Tim Cook endorses Australia’s social media approach as ‘world-leading’: PM Anthony Albanese
Apple executive chair backs measures including under-16 restrictions and child safety tools
MUMBAI: Apple executive chair Tim Cook has described Australia’s approach to regulating social media as “world-leading”, according to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese following a meeting at Apple Park in California, Reuters reported.
Albanese said Cook spent considerable time with him during the meeting and expressed support for Australia’s work on social media regulation. Apple, responding to the comments, pointed to a post by Cook saying he was pleased to show Albanese some of the company’s latest tools designed to help keep children safe online.
Australia has taken a series of steps to strengthen online safety. In December, it became the first country to ban children under 16 from using social media.
The government has also moved to give users greater control over what appears in their feeds, with a plan allowing them to choose whether algorithmically recommended content is used.
Other governments have since considered similar age restrictions. The European Commission has proposed banning social media access for children under 13, with parental controls for some older teenagers.
The meeting also covered artificial intelligence and the need for safeguards as the technology develops rapidly.
Albanese said the pace of AI development warranted discussion around a global framework and stressed that safeguards should ensure humans remain in control of the technology.
His comments come amid a wider debate among technology companies and governments over the pace of AI development, its potential risks and the role of regulation.
The meeting comes shortly after Cook stepped down as Apple CEO following 15 years in the role and became executive chair of the company’s board on 1 September.
John Ternus, previously Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, succeeded Cook as CEO. Ternus joined Apple in 2001 and has worked across the development of products including the iPad and AirPods, as well as successive generations of the iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch.
The discussions between Albanese and Cook highlight the growing overlap between technology policy, child safety and the governance of emerging technologies as governments and companies develop new approaches to online platforms and AI.
