Google raises concerns over Australia’s teen social media ban

Google has sounded an alarm over Australia’ teen social media ban, calling it extremely difficult to enforce the law.

Australia has recently enacted a law prohibiting people younger than 16 from using social media. As per Alphabet-owned company’s warning, this initiative will not be effective and make children safer online.

The world including tech giants and governments are eyeing Australia to become the first country in December after banning social media apps for teenagers.

Social media platforms will eliminate age verification procedures. They will rely on AI tools and behavioural data to infer the age.

YouTube's senior manager of government affairs in Australia, Rachel Lord, said the government's programme was “well-intentioned, but it could have "unintended consequences."

"The legislation will not only be extremely difficult to enforce, it also does not fulfil its promise of making kids safer online," Lord said.

In July, the Australian government added YouTube to be part of a social media apps-based ban. Google argued that YouTube is not a part of social media; it is a video-sharing site.