eSafety commissioner wants to see YouTube added to the social media ban list
The platform is currently exempt from the ban due to take effect in December.
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Parents could be in for a tantrum to end all tantrums, following calls to ban YouTube for Aussies under the age of 16.
It’s news sure to shock the iPad kids, but E-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant says the the streaming giant should get the boot.
With the under-16s social media ban due to take effect in December, YouTube is currently listed as an exemption.
That’s because the platform can be used as a tool to educate.
However, the commissioner has urged the Albanese government to rethink that stance and make it completely exempt.
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"Weakening policies designed to minimise harm"
Earlier today, Julie Inman Grant fronted the National Press Club in Canberra where she pointed out her concerns.
“The New York Times reported earlier this month that YouTube surreptitiously rolled back its content moderation processes to keep more harmful content on its platform, even when the content violates the company’s own policies,” she said in her speech.
“...We see platform after platform winding back their trust and safety teams and weakening policies designed to minimise harm, making these platforms ever-more perilous for our children.”
YouTube has reportedly hit back at the recommendations.
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'Not a social media platform'
"YouTube is not a social media platform; it is a video streaming platform with a library of free, high-quality content, and TV screens are increasingly the most popular place to watch," Rachel Lord, from YouTube Australia and New Zealand said in a statement.
It’s among various recommendations to the draft rules for the upcoming social media ban in correspondence to the Communications Minister, Annika Wells.
Within the recommendation she included research which found seven out of 10 children between 10 and 15 have encountered harmful content like misogynistic material, the promotion of disordered eating and dangerous online challenges.
YouTube was cited as the platform where four out of 10 kids reported viewing the harmful content she specified.
Social media ban incoming
She also suggested that due to the fast moving landscape of technology the government should not include the names of specific platforms in the ban.
There’s also push to address features on social media such as streaks, stories and AI chat boxes.
The Communications Minister will ultimately have the final call after considering these recommendations, before bringing the rules to parliament.
The social media ban rules are expected to be finalised ahead of its introduction later this year, so that the platforms and parents can prepare for the changes.
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Originally published as eSafety commissioner wants to see YouTube added to the social media ban list
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