What's happened
Australia and the EU are investigating Meta and TikTok for compliance with new digital regulations. Australia plans to remove underage accounts, while the EU criticizes their data access and content moderation practices. Both face potential fines and increased oversight.
What's behind the headline?
The enforcement of Australia's new law highlights the challenge of effectively policing underage social media use. Platforms will rely on signals like activity duration, friend networks, and voice analysis to detect minors, but these methods are inherently imperfect. The EU's preliminary findings reveal a broader issue: Meta and TikTok are not fully compliant with transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act, especially regarding data access for researchers and content reporting mechanisms. This non-compliance exposes the platforms to significant fines and underscores the difficulty of balancing user safety, privacy, and operational transparency. The divergence in regulatory approaches—Australia's focus on age restrictions and the EU's emphasis on transparency—illustrates the complexity of regulating global tech giants. Moving forward, these investigations will likely intensify, pushing platforms toward more robust compliance but also revealing the limits of current technological solutions for safeguarding minors and ensuring accountability.
What the papers say
The articles from Ars Technica, TechCrunch, and The Independent collectively highlight the increasing regulatory pressure on Meta and TikTok. Ars Technica details Australia's upcoming law enforcement challenges and the platforms' strategies for age verification, emphasizing the difficulty of spotty enforcement and circumvention tactics. TechCrunch and The Independent focus on the EU's investigation into Meta and TikTok's transparency failures, particularly regarding data access for research and content moderation appeals. The EU's preliminary findings suggest that both companies are not fully compliant with the Digital Services Act, risking hefty fines. While Ars Technica provides a detailed look at Australia's specific enforcement issues, the European articles underscore the broader international regulatory landscape and the potential consequences for these platforms if they fail to adapt. The contrasting focus—Australia's age restrictions versus the EU's transparency and data access—reflects different regulatory priorities but converges on the need for greater accountability from social media giants.
How we got here
Australia introduced laws requiring social media platforms to deactivate accounts of users under 16 and improve age verification methods. The EU launched investigations into Meta and TikTok in 2024, focusing on data access, content moderation, and transparency under the Digital Services Act, amid concerns over harmful content and research access.
Go deeper
Common question
-
What Are the New Regulations Meta and TikTok Are Facing in Australia and the EU?
Meta and TikTok are under increasing scrutiny from regulators in Australia and the European Union. New laws and investigations aim to improve data transparency, age verification, and content moderation. But what do these regulations mean for users and the platforms themselves? Below, we answer key questions about these developments and what they could mean for your online experience.
-
What Are the Latest Global Efforts to Protect Oceans?
With marine ecosystems facing increasing threats, many countries are stepping up their conservation efforts. From creating artificial reefs to expanding protected areas, these initiatives aim to safeguard marine biodiversity. But how effective are these measures, and what can individuals do to help? Explore the latest news and insights on ocean protection efforts worldwide.
More on these topics
-
TikTok/Douyin is a Chinese video-sharing social networking service owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based Internet technology company founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming.
-
Facebook, Inc. is an American social media conglomerate corporation based in Menlo Park, California. It was founded by Mark Zuckerberg, along with his fellow roommates and students at Harvard College, who were Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk
-
The European Union is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. Its members have a combined area of 4,233,255.3 km² and an estimated total population of about 447 million.
-
Instagram is an American photo and video sharing social networking service owned by Facebook, created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and originally launched on iOS in October 2010.
-
Facebook is an American online social media and social networking service based in Menlo Park, California and a flagship service of the namesake company Facebook, Inc.
-
The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU.