Big Tech Begs Australia To Go Easy On Under-16 Ban Data, Zambians Watch Closely

SYDNEY – The big tech giants are sweating, and honestly, it is a beautiful sight. Top social media platforms are begging the Australian government not to take early evidence seriously, evidence that shows most kids are still glued to their apps despite a landmark under-16 ban. While this is happening down under, Zambian parents and leaders should be taking notes, because the same foreign corporations are playing the same games with our children.

Local heads of YouTube, Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok fronted a Senate inquiry this week as lawmakers pressed them on studies, including from Australia's internet regulator, showing some 80% of minors were still on social media months after the ban took effect in December. That is right, 80% of kids are still scrolling, liking, and posting, and the tech bosses are telling the government to calm down and not read too much into it.

Tech Giants Say It Is Too Early To Judge The Ban

YouTube's head of government relations, Rachel Lord, told the inquiry that the data is a point in time and very early on. She cautioned against over-reliance on it, noting the government's latest published compliance data was from March. In plain language, they are saying, do not trust your own eyes, just trust us.

Lord also argued that age assurance technology had been built around a cut-off of 18, and the technologies to detect users at the 16 age boundary are still evolving. So, the excuse is that they cannot tell if a user is 15 or 17, but they can track our data for advertising purposes perfectly fine. It does not add up.

Meta And TikTok Claim Progress While Kids Stay Online

Meta's Australia head of public policy, Mia Garlick, said the survey data may not reflect whether underage users had an account, even if they claimed to use a platform. She talked about differences between people accessing versus having an account. That is a fancy way of saying the numbers might be wrong, but they are not sure how.

Meta released figures showing it had deactivated 756,000 Instagram and Facebook accounts suspected of belonging to underage users, up from about 500,000 in March. YouTube's Lord said Google has stopped about 740,000 holders of Google accounts from using them to access YouTube. TikTok's Australian head of public policy, Jessica Loftstedt, called compliance an iterative process, having taken down 550,000 accounts when the law took effect and removing about 24,000 a month since.

Lawmakers Want Tougher Penalties And More Power

The inquiry is examining amendments that would double maximum penalties to A$99 million ($64 million) and expand the eSafety Commissioner's powers to compel information and documents from platforms and their third-party age assurance providers during investigations. The eSafety Commissioner is considering legal action against some platforms, accusing them of deliberately slow-walking compliance to discourage other jurisdictions from copying Australia's lead.

This is the key point for Zambia. These corporations are not our friends. They are foreign entities that profit from our children's attention and data. When a country like Australia tries to protect its young ones, the tech giants fight back with excuses and delays. What chance do we have if we do not stand firm?

What Zambia Can Learn From Australia's Fight With Big Tech

Zambia must take control of its digital space. We cannot rely on foreign platforms to police themselves. Our government should be looking at strong regulations, national control over data, and holding these companies accountable. Our children are our future, and we cannot let foreign algorithms dictate their development.

The Australian experience shows that big tech will resist any attempt at regulation. They will use their money, their lawyers, and their public relations machines to slow things down. But the Australian government is pushing back, doubling penalties and demanding more power. Zambia should be watching closely and preparing its own defenses.

The eSafety commissioner is scheduled to testify at the inquiry later on Friday, and the world will be watching. But for Zambia, the lesson is clear: trust our own institutions, protect our own people, and do not let foreign corporations dictate our national policy. Zambia for Zambians, and our children are non-negotiable.

Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Saad Sayeed. Adapted for Zed Nation by Mwansa Chisanga.