The head of the European Union says Australia’s attempt to keep children off social media is inspiring her and member states, as Europe ramps up tech trials and public support for a similar ban.
The support at a United Nations event organised by Australian advocates overnight is some of the strongest yet from EU leaders and marks another headwind for social media giants.
Australia’s ban begins December 10 with bipartisan and public support, despite concerns from experts and platforms about unintended consequences and the feasibility of the age assurance technologies being rolled out to comply.
On Thursday, Australia’s online safety regulator announced it will use outside experts to help monitor the roll out and its impacts on young Australians.
As Australia’s ban begins, Europe continues to test its own approach, including the European Commission releasing a prototype for age verification methods designed to work across its union.
The European prototype released in July is geared towards 18+ online content and can be integrated into users’ digital identity wallets. But it can also be adapted to other age ranges like 13+. France, Spain, Greece, Denmark and Italy are currently testing the pilot.
“Many member states believe the time has come for a digital majority age for access to social media,” European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told the UN event organised by Australia.
“And I must tell you, as a mother of seven and a grandmother of five, I share their view. It is obvious that this is plain common sense.”
Greek’s Prime Minister also voiced support for social media limits at the event.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, “We know the world will be watching – and we are glad to have you with us.”
He said Australia’s ban will lift the industry’s typical 13 year age minimum for a social media account to a legislated 16 year minimum for designated platforms, giving young Australians extra time to “build real world connections and online resilience”.
“Three more years to get better at spotting the fakes and the dangers. At learning the difference between online followers and real friends. And at becoming more adept at avoiding the pressures of measuring themselves against impossible standards,” Mr Albanese said.
“Three more years of being shaped by real life experience, not algorithms. And developing the increased maturity and the perspective that will allow them to shrug off what, a couple of years earlier, might have felt overwhelming.”
The movement in Europe is another headwind for social media firms, which railed against Australia’s ban and warned the government not to rely on the results of a controversial technology trial that found age assurance to be feasible.
The trial led to the regulator developing guidance on what ‘reasonable steps’ the platforms like Meta, YouTube and TikTok will need to take to comply and avoid penalties up to $50 million.
The government has repeatedly acknowledged there will be teething issues with the ban, including Mr Albanese telling the UN “It isn’t foolproof, but it is a crucial step in the right direction.”
On Thursday, the eSafety Commission announced it has convened global and Australian experts led by Stanford University’s Social Media Lab to help it evaluate the implementation of the ban.
The experts will not be paid for the work, but will get access to research data, collaborations and publication opportunities.
“This collaborative model underscores our commitment to a robust, transparent, and high-quality evaluation, including identifying any unintended consequences of the obligation and making recommendations around what adjustments may be required to address those,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said.
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