Meta says Labor taking secretive approach to social ban amid Trump threat

Tech giants have complained about the federal government’s allegedly secretive planning for its under-16 social media ban following the threat made by US President Donald Trump last month to penalise countries targeting American digital platforms.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, accused Communications Minister Michelle Rowland of taking a stealth approach to working out the details of how the age restriction would work.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wants to make social media safer for children.Credit: Michaela Pollock

“The government is conducting a closed door consultation about the rules that will determine which services are included within the ‘social media ban law’,” Meta said in a statement.

“This goes against commitments the government made to parents, safety organisations and technology platforms and services that they would undertake public consultation.”

A statement from TikTok said: “The similarity of these three platforms (TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube) underscores the inconsistency of the government’s proposed exemption… It would be akin to banning the sale of soft drinks to minors but exempting Coca-Cola.”

Labor decided to go slow on its plans to charge firms such as Meta and Google for Australian news content as the government tried to secure an exemption from steel tariffs.

Three government sources, speaking confidentially to detail thinking inside the government, said ministers were aware of the Trump administration’s potential hostility towards age-gating social media, a policy criticised by Elon Musk last year.

But they did not think the US would punish Australia over the age ban, and Labor remains committed to its signature policy to protect teens from the online world.

Adding complexity to Labor’s navigation of the new US administration is Trump’s memorandum issued on February 21, titled “Prevent the Unfair Exploitation of American Innovation”, threatening tariffs against countries that hit American tech firms with taxes, fines, regulations or adverse policies.

The memo, which was issued as Treasurer Jim Chalmers travelled to the US to lobby for a tariff exemption, does not cite the under-16 ban and is largely focused on European taxes. The memo does state the US digital economy is bigger than the Australian economy.

Trump’s statement could mean trouble for Labor’s tech agenda, which more closely aligns with US Democrats who support curtailing misinformation and limiting harmful content. Along with a failed attempt to target online falsehoods, Labor is pushing local content quotas for US streaming platforms and digital scamming laws.

Meta, Snap and TikTok are furious YouTube secured a carve-out from the under-16 clampdown.

Labor also decided to exclude gaming apps, as well as services predominantly used for health and educational needs.

A spokesman for the minister said, “if community sentiment changes over time” the legislation could be updated at the two-year review point.

“This is novel reform and we are committed to ensuring this legislation is keeping pace with a rapidly evolving social and digital ecosystem,” he said.

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