Apple’s Tim Cook sees Australia’s social media curbs as ’world-leading’, PM says

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised Apple Executive Chair Tim Cook's recent meeting at the company's US headquarters, stating that Australia's curbs on social media usage are "world-leading." Cook spent considerable time discussing their efforts to improve online safety with Albanese. Australia has taken significant steps in this area recently, introducing an option for users to customize their social media feeds and even banning social media for children under 16 starting in December.

This makes Australia the first country to implement such a ban. Other nations have followed suit this year, with the European Commission proposing a similar ban for children under 13. When queried about Albanese's assessment, an Apple spokesperson cited a statement from Cook on social media platform X, where he expressed gratitude for sharing new innovations with Albanese, including robust and intuitive controls to safeguard children online.

Notably, Cook recently relinquished his position as Apple CEO after a 15-year tenure. The AI industry remains divided on the pace of development for increasingly sophisticated technology, with a fierce debate on AI safety currently dominating discussions in Silicon Valley.