Former tech CEO praises Australia for banning social media for kids under 16 | The IndependentSkip to contentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.Subscribe`; document.body.appendChild(modal); modal.addEventListener('click', () => { document.cookie = 'mos-plan-select=; Max-Age=0; path=/; expires=Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 UTC;'; }); modal.querySelector('.subscribe-link')?.addEventListener('click', (e) => { e.preventDefault(); document.cookie = 'mos-plan-select=; Max-Age=0; path=/; expires=Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 UTC;'; setTimeout(() => { window.location.href = 'https://www.independent.co.uk/subscribe/app'; }, 500); });});]]>Sam McKeithSunday 20 September 2026 18:19 BSTHow will the UK’s under-16s social media ban work?Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Apple Executive Chair Tim Cook, who praised Australia's social media safety laws as world-leading.Australia became the first nation to ban social media for children under 16 in December and recently proposed allowing users control over their feed content.Apple highlighted Tim Cook's commitment to providing strong, intuitive controls that help protect children online.Albanese called for a global regulatory framework for artificial intelligence to ensure humans maintain control over rapidly advancing technology.Albanese's push for AI regulation contrasts with President Donald Trump, who has argued that further regulatory measures are unnecessary.In fullApple’s Tim Cook praises Australia’s under-16 social media ban as ‘ world-leading’More bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in