Social media giants face heavy fines for violating the proposed privacy measures for children

Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media companies would face fines of up to $ 10 million for failing to seek parental consent for users under the age of 16 under proposed laws, though it remains unclear how to give permission should be checked.

Most social networks require users to be 13 years of age to open an account, but changes in the draft online privacy law would give the information officer the power to write a mandatory code for social media companies, data brokers and large online Set up platforms such as Apple, Google and Spotify in consultation with the tech industry.

The federal government’s move to tighten controls comes in response to concerns that children are exposed to extreme online content and follows its demand that platforms introduce an industry-led voluntary code to reduce misinformation and disinformation.

Deputy Secretary of State for Mental Health David Coleman said Monday the code would require platforms to demonstrate that they have taken “all reasonable steps” to verify the ages of users under the age of 16 and obtain parental consent. It would also place stricter requirements on social media platforms’ handling of children’s personal information, with fines of up to $ 10 million, or 10 percent of annual revenue, for violations.

“It means parents know that under Australian law, if their child is on a social media platform and has not given consent, that social media platform is effectively breaking the law if the information officer believes is that they didn’t. They didn’t do everything they should to check the age, ”Coleman said.

Loading

“If a social media algorithm currently detects that, for example, a child is worried about weight problems, and consequently sends it in the direction of dangerous content … such as body image, extreme diet-eating disorders, that is against the law.”

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen accused the company this month of deliberately failing to protect underage users and of pointing them out to harmful content. The former Facebook product manager, who leaked a ton of internal documents before leaving in May, told Australian MPs in a briefing last week that the company was not doing enough to detect the presence of underage users on its platforms.

“We need to let Facebook publish how they recognize 13-year-olds because I think they almost certainly aren’t doing everything they could to know when there are under 13s on the platform,” she said.