Apple’s Cook calls Australia’s social media curbs ‘world-leading,’ PM says

 Apple Executive Chair Tim Cook described Australia's restrictions on social media as "world-leading" during a meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the company's California headquarters, Reuters reported on Sunday.

Albanese met Cook at Apple Park as Australia moves ahead with tighter rules aimed at protecting children and giving users more control over the content displayed on social media platforms.

The Australian government this month announced plans to give social media users the option to select the content they see in their feeds, marking the latest step in its online safety push.

The country became the first to ban social media use for children under 16 in December. Other governments have since moved toward similar restrictions, including the European Commission, which this year proposed a ban for children under 13.

Speaking after the meeting, Albanese said Cook viewed Australia's work on social media regulation as leading other countries.

Apple referred questions about Albanese's remarks to a post by Cook on X. Cook said he was pleased to show the prime minister some of Apple's latest technology, including controls designed to help protect children online.

The comments come as technology companies face increased scrutiny over how their products affect younger users and how much control consumers have over algorithmically selected content.

Apple is not itself a major social media operator, but its iPhone and App Store are important gateways to platforms run by companies including Meta Platforms, Alphabet, Snap and ByteDance-owned TikTok.

The debate over technology regulation is also expanding as increasingly powerful artificial intelligence systems raise separate questions about safety and the pace of development.

Industry executives have differed over how quickly companies should advance AI capabilities as policymakers consider how existing regulatory frameworks should apply to the technology.

Cook recently stepped down as Apple chief executive after leading the company for 15 years.

https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/apple-cook-calls-australia-social-020208183.html