The Government has confirmed it will include YouTube in its social media ban for children under 16.
It follows a report from The Daily Telegraph that YouTube’s owner Google would sue the Government if it went ahead with the ban.
The ban is expected to come into effect later this year, pending technological developments.
Communications Minister Anika Wells said: “There’s a place for social media, but there’s not a place for predatory algorithms targeting children.”
Background
The Government’s ban on children under 16 using social media passed Parliament late last year, following a public campaign to protect young people’s mental health.
Social media companies, including Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and Snap Inc (Snapchat) could face fines of $50 million if under-16s create an account on their platforms.
Australia was the first country to legislate an age-specific social media ban.
YouTube
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YouTube was initially exempt from the ban because the Government said it is predominantly used for learning.
A YouTube spokesperson said banning the platform would ignore “evidence from teachers and parents that [it] is suitable for younger users”.
In a speech last year, then-Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said YouTube and messaging platforms like WhatsApp “enable young people to get the education and health support they need.”
YouTube requires children under 13 to provide a parent or guardian’s contact details when they make an account.
Social media companies criticised YouTube’s exemption.
TikTok’s public policy director in Australia and New Zealand Ella Woods-Joyce likened it to “banning the sale of soft drinks to minors but exempting Coca-Cola.”
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said earlier this year she had advised the Government to include YouTube in the ban, noting it can still be accessed without an account.
