TikTok Australia's opening statement to the Senate Environment and Communications References Committee

By Ella Woods-Joyce, Public Policy Lead for Content and Safety, TikTok Australia and New Zealand

TikTok has held a consistent and public position on age bans for social media platforms. We share the concerns of the many experts who have stated that blunt age bans won't work, and will not resolve the genuine concerns the legislation aims to address.

We support evidence-based, sensible legislation that improves safety standards for all internet users. However, experts believe a ban will push younger people to darker corners of the internet where rules, safety tools, and protections don't exist.

As a mum of two, I understand the challenges families face with online safety. They are challenges most families navigate every day, just like ours does.

That being said, now that the legislation has passed and the eSafety Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner have both issued their guidance, TikTok's focus is on compliance.

Under the Social Media Minimum Age law, we acknowledge that TikTok is an Age Restricted Social Media Platform (ARSMP).

Put simply, TikTok will comply with the law and meet our legislative obligations.

TikTok already supports teens through safety by design features, including specific support for younger teens that reflect their developmental age, offering significant, specially designed settings and features. This includes features like default screen time limits, Family Pairing tools, and restrictions on certain features like direct messaging.

There is always more to do; we know there is no finish line when it comes to keeping our community safe.

But we are on track to meet our compliance and, with that, thank you to the committee.