Apple Executive Chair Tim Cook regards Australia’s restrictions on social media as “world-leading,” Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Sunday after meeting Cook at the company’s headquarters in California.
Speaking from Apple Park in remarks broadcast in Australia, Albanese said Cook “gave us a lot of time this morning” and praised the government’s work on online safety. “He regards the work that we’ve done on social media to be world-leading,” Albanese said.
Australia became the first country to ban social media accounts for children under 16 when the law took effect in December 2025. This month the government announced a further step: giving users the option to choose the content that appears in their feeds. Other governments have followed in 2026, with the European Commission the latest to propose a ban for children under 13.
Asked about Albanese’s comments, an Apple spokesperson pointed to a post by Cook on X. In it, Cook said he was grateful to share “some of our newest innovations, including strong and intuitive controls to help keep kids safe online.”
It was great to welcome @AlboMP to Apple Park this morning to talk about the incredible work of our teams and our longstanding commitment to Australia. I was grateful to share some of our newest innovations, including strong and intuitive controls to help keep kids safe online. pic.twitter.com/EQKmIkP3uC
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) September 19, 2026
Albanese’s U.S. visit comes amid a broader Silicon Valley debate over the pace of AI development and the need for safeguards. The Australian leader said AI carries risks that must be managed and called for discussion of a global framework “because it is moving very quickly, and we need to make sure that humans remain in control.”
Those comments contrast with President Donald Trump’s recent stance. Trump has rejected claims that AI poses an existential threat, described calls for tighter oversight as a coordinated effort that would advantage China, and maintained that existing criminal and regulatory authorities are already adequate.
The meeting underscores how Australia’s early, strict approach to youth online safety has drawn attention from one of the world’s largest technology companies, even as platforms and governments continue to clash over enforcement, age verification, and the balance between protection and access.
MacDailyNews Take: For many years we have social media a societal cancer: addictive feeds, engagement algorithms, and attention farming that reward outrage, isolate kids, and coarsen civic life. Australia’s under-16 ban and feed-choice plan are blunt instruments. They are also a recognition that leaving children unsupervised on these products is not “innovation.” Apple selling stronger parental controls is useful. It does not make social media healthy. Smart users will keep treating the worst of these platforms like the plague they are.
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“World leading’…as in being a Trojan horse for an authoritarian digital I.D.
now ban sugar drinks and all forms of processed foods until people are 16. and lets not forget contact sports like, football, soccer, basketball etc… its for the children
now ban sugar drinks and all forms of processed foods until people are 16. and lets not forget contact sports like, football, soccer, basketball etc…
Having the govt involved is comforting…esp thousands of miles away.
Glad Tim’s involved–doing his part (he’s got to do something now).