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Australia could follow the US in banning TikTok

TikTok is set to be blocked in the United States over the weekend and a similar move has not been ruled out in Australia. TAKE OUR POLL.

What can U.S. TikTok users expect on Sunday?

A ban on TikTok in Australia hasn’t been ruled out by the federal government, as the United States prepares to ban the popular video-sharing app a day before Donald Trump is inaugurated for the second time as President.

TikTok is set to be blocked in the US over the weekend following the passing of laws last year, driven by concerns that China could collect information from users of the app, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance.

The move to ban TikTok – which has 8.5 million Australian users – is the subject of a US Supreme Court appeal, with a spokesman for the Australian government not confirming or denying if there were any similar plans to ban the platform domestically.

“As this matter is before the courts in the United States, it would be inappropriate to pre-empt a decision,” he said.

“Australia will always make decisions in our national interest.”

The app could also be allowed to continue in the US if ByteDance sells it to an American owner.

TikTok will be among the platforms captured in new laws ushered in by the Albanese Government banning under 16s from social media.

Those laws — and how they will be enforced — took a major step forward this month, with the next stage in a major trial which will explore how the age limits can be applied.

The callout has been made for companies working in the age-regulation sector to express their interest in participating in the trial, in a bid to find methods which will prevent under-16s accessing social media.

The move to block youth from social media came following News Corp’s Let Them Be Kids campaign, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying the initiative was needed to protect children from the harms of social media.

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Originally published as Australia could follow the US in banning TikTok

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/nsw/australia-could-follow-the-us-in-banning-tiktok/news-story/8a2bf35996022efa174fc98134a655a2