YouTube to be included in social media ban for under 16s

“Social media is doing social harm to our children, and I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs.”

YouTube will be captured by Labor’s world-leading social media ban for under 16s, the Albanese government has confirmed.

The videostreaming giant was initially set to be exempt, with the Albanese government arguing it could be educational.

But the online safety watchdog has since advised YouTube should be included, warning it causes the most harm to kids.

“Our government is making it clear – we stand on the side of families,” Anthony Albanese said in a joint statement with Communications Minister Anika Wells.

“Social media has a social responsibility and there is no doubt that Australian kids are being negatively impacted by online platforms so I’m calling time on it.

“Social media is doing social harm to our children, and I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs.” 

The Albanese government has confirmed YouTube will be captured by its social media ban. Picture: Getty

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Echoing the Prime Minister, Ms Wells said it would give “kids a reprieve from the persuasive and pervasive pull of social media while giving parents peace of mind”.

“We want kids to know who they are before platforms assume who they are,” she said.

“There is no one perfect solution when it comes to keeping young Australians safer online – but the social media minimum age will make a significantly positive difference to their wellbeing.

“The rules are not a set and forget, they are a set and support.”

Last month, the brains tasked with finding a way to enforce the ban said it is possible but that there is no “silver bullet” and firms would need to use a range of measures.

One option, according to the project’s chief, is successive validation – a series of tests designed to firm up a user’s age. 

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"There’s not a place for predatory algorithms targeting children"

With the advice saying enforcement is possible, Ms Wells noted in the joint statement that there are “heavy penalties for companies who fail to take reasonable steps to prevent underage account holders onto their services”.

Those penalties include a fine of up to $49.5m. 

“There’s a place for social media, but there’s not a place for predatory algorithms targeting children,” Ms Wells said. 

The decision to include YouTube in the ban comes after eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant warned kids were using YouTube more than any other social media platform.

“It’s almost ubiquitous that kids are on social media,” she said last month, speaking to the ABC. 

“By far the most prevalent social media site they’re on is YouTube. 

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"A logical thing to do"

“And when we asked where they were experiencing harm and the kinds of harms they were experiencing, the most prevalent place where young Australians experienced harm was on YouTube – almost 37 per cent.

“This ranges from misogynistic content to hateful material, to violent fighting videos, online challenges, disordered eating, suicidal ideation.”

The Coalition also called for YouTube’s inclusion, with opposition communications spokeswoman Melissa McIntosh saying it is “a logical thing to do”.

The social media ban is set to come into force in December.

While other countries have mulled similar actions, Australia is the first to make the leap, receiving both praise and criticism.

Originally published as YouTube to be included in social media ban for under 16s