YouTube exemption from Australian teen social media ban opposed by regulator
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Research showed YouTube was the most-used social media platform and the biggest source of harm for young Australians.
PHOTO: AFP
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SYDNEY - Australia’s online regulator called on the government to reverse its controversial exemption for YouTube from a social media ban for under-16s,
The country’s eSafety Commissioner, Ms Julie Inman Grant, said on June 24 she wanted the legislation to be “fair, consistent and proportional”.
Speaking on national radio, Ms Inman Grant said fresh research showed Google-owned YouTube was the most-used social media platform and the biggest source of harm for young Australians.
“This ranges from misogynistic content to hateful material to violent fighting videos, online challenges, disordered eating, suicidal ideation,” said Ms Inman Grant, who noted that she did not expect YouTube to escape the ban in the first place.
“I was surprised, but my job isn’t to endorse the legislation, it’s to enforce the rules,” she said.
The law was passed in late 2024 and will come into force by the end of 2025.
Competitors, including Snap and Meta Platforms, the owner of Instagram and Facebook, have long been angered by YouTube’s favourable treatment.
Their exasperation grew after it emerged that the government had made a personal pledge to YouTube’s boss to exempt the platform, even before a consultation process on the carve-out had begun.
In a blog post, YouTube said Ms Inman Grant’s comments ignored the benefits YouTube offered to school students and teachers.
“We urge the government to follow through on the public commitment it made to ensure young Australians can continue to access enriching content on YouTube,” it said. BLOOMBERG
