Australian children will be banned from YouTube if the Albanese Government accepts the advice of its online safety chief, whose research shows four in 10 young teenagers have been exposed to harmful content on the platform. Source: The Age.
YouTube received an exemption from Labor’s world-leading social media ban for under-16s after former communications minister Michelle Rowland, now the Attorney-General, deemed it had a significant educational purpose.
But eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, in formal advice delivered to new Communications Minister Anika Wells last week, said the carve-out should be removed because children were experiencing harm on the platform.
The advice sets Ms Wells up for a fight with Google, the tech giant that owns YouTube, just weeks into her new role or risk a continued fight from other social media giants, including TikTok, Meta and Snap, who argue the exemption makes a mockery of the Government’s plans.
It threatens to be controversial among Australian parents because of its popularity among children who use its Kids’ platform to watch clips from groups such as the Wiggles.
Ms Wells plans to decide on Ms Inman Grant’s advice in coming weeks so that the social media ban can be launched by December.
Ms Inman Grant noted children would still be able to access YouTube without having an account.
The eSafety Commissioner will tell the National Press Club today that risks to children of early exposure to social media were becoming clearer in her agency’s research, including on YouTube.
An Australian survey of 2600 children aged 10 to 15 found that 96 per cent of them used at least one social media platform, and about 70 per cent had encountered harmful content, including exposure to misogynistic or hateful material, violent fight videos and content that promoted eating disorders.
A spokeswoman for YouTube told the New York Times in their response: “Our goal remains the same: to protect free expression on YouTube while mitigating egregious harm.”
A spokesman for Ms Wells said she would carefully consider the advice.
“Her top priority is making sure the draft rules fulfil the objective of the act – protecting children from the harms of social media,” he said.
FULL STORY
eSafety boss reveals scale of ‘harmful’ videos on YouTube, urges ban for children (By Natassia Chrysanthos, The Age)
