Apple Executive Chair Tim Cook has praised Australia’s approach to social media safety, as governments and technology companies continue to look for better ways to protect children online.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met Cook at Apple Park in California on September 20, 2026. After the meeting, Albanese said Cook viewed Australia’s work on social media safety as “world-leading.”
The discussion focused largely on online safety, children’s protection and the growing responsibility of technology companies to provide safer digital experiences.
Australia introduced major social media restrictions that took effect on December 10, 2025. Under the rules, age-restricted social media platforms must take reasonable steps to stop Australians under the age of 16 from creating or keeping accounts.
The rules affect major social platforms and are designed to reduce young users’ exposure to harmful or addictive online experiences. Children under 16 can still access some publicly available social media content without signing into an account.
Australia has continued to expand its online safety plans. More recently, the government has moved toward giving social media users greater control over what appears in their feeds, reducing their dependence on content automatically selected by recommendation algorithms.
Cook’s comments also come as Apple increases its focus on tools designed to help parents manage how children use digital devices and online services.
During the meeting, Cook discussed some of Apple’s newer safety features and controls aimed at helping families protect children online. Apple offers features such as parental controls, age ratings, Communication Safety and tools for managing children’s accounts.
Australia’s policies have also influenced Apple’s thinking around online child safety. Earlier in 2026, Albanese said Cook told him that some of Apple’s newer child-safety controls were partly inspired by Australia’s social media age restrictions and ongoing research into how social media affects children.
The meeting is also notable because Cook is now Apple’s executive chair rather than its CEO. He stepped down from the CEO position after 15 years, with John Ternus taking over as Apple CEO on September 1, 2026. Cook remains closely involved with the company, including engagement with policymakers around the world.
Australia’s social media rules have attracted international attention as governments consider how far they should go in regulating online platforms. Supporters of stronger controls argue that children need better protection from harmful content and potentially addictive platform features, while questions remain about enforcement, privacy and how age checks should work in practice.
For Apple, the discussion fits with its wider focus on privacy, security and family safety features across the iPhone, iPad and other devices.
Cook’s support adds another major technology industry voice to the global conversation around child safety online. As social media platforms, device makers and governments introduce new protections, Australia’s approach is likely to remain part of the wider debate over how younger users should access social media.
