Australia Under-16 Ban; Macron Demands Algorithm Transparency

French President Emmanuel Macron urged countries to ban social media platforms that refuse to disclose algorithmic political bias, saying lack of transparency undermines democracy. Separately, Australia’s parliament approved a law that will bar users under 16 from major platforms — including Facebook/Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X and YouTube — starting Dec. 10, 2025, with penalties up to A$49.5 million (about US$32.5 million) for noncompliance. Meta, TikTok and Snap said they oppose the blanket age ban and warned it could be difficult to enforce and have unintended consequences, but have committed to comply. The companies plan to deploy automated age-assurance tools, behavioral detection and third-party age-estimation mechanisms and to offer under-16s options such as deleting content or having data stored until they turn 16. Regulators and industry observers warned the measures are technically hard to police and could push younger users to less-regulated or more harmful platforms, and together with Macron’s call the developments underscore growing international pressure on platforms over youth safety and algorithmic transparency.