Aussie kids under 16yo banned from having YouTube account
Labor said it won’t be “intimidated by legal threats” and social media platforms have been on “notice” about the age ban, which puts the onus on them to deactivate kids’ accounts, not parents.
National
Don't miss out on the headlines from National. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Social media platforms have been on “notice” for 12 months about the age ban taking effect from December and it will be on them to deactive kids’ accounts, not parents, the government has warned.
Communications Minister Anika Wells said it was “not on the parent to police” if their child is on a platform like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, X or YouTube.
“(The platforms) have to deactivate existing accounts that they know; they need to make sure that no new accounts are activated, they need to take reasonable steps to make sure that any workarounds or mitigations, because kids, god bless them, are going to find a way around this,” she said.
“These are meant to be working rules, and they also need to sort of correct any errors as they arise.
“Because these are not set-and-forget rules, these are set-and-support rules, they are world-leading. But this is manifestly too important for us not to have a crack.”
Ms Wells said parents were trying to do their best, but protecting children from social media harms was like trying to teach a kid to swim in the sea instead of a local pool.
“We can’t control the ocean, but we can police the sharks,” she said.
“And that’s why we will not be intimidated by legal threats, when this is a genuine fight for the wellbeing of Australian kids, a fight the parents beside me have tragic reasons to wage with fearless determination.”
Ms Wells also rejected arguments put forward by YouTube, which has been added to the ban on advice from the eSafety Commissioner, that it was simply a video streaming platform.
“Their argument was – they had a few – but in essence that they are a video streaming platform, not a social media platform,” she said.
“But they also self-identified as a social media platform in February this year for the purposes of working with the eSafety Commissioner on the industry codes.”
Ms Wells also dismissed YouTube’s argument that childrens entertainers like the Wiggles were prolific on the platform.
“We love The Wiggles,” she said.
Anthony Albanese agreed saying “my government is pro-Wiggles,” before pointing out children could still access YouTube in a logged out state if a school teacher or parent wanted to show a particular video.
The Prime Minister said by limiting the inclusion of YouTube to only holding an account, videos could still be used for education purposes.
“We recognise that ... social media isn’t all bad,” he said.
“We’re not saying that. So, what we want to make sure though is that we restrict the harmful content.”
Mr Albanese also confirmed Australia would be holding an event in New York along with the Let Them Be Kids and 36 months campaigns, to take their online child safety advocacy to the world.
“(The age ban) is our position,” he said.
“It’s up to other nations what they do.
“But I know from the discussions I’ve had with other leaders, that they are looking at this, and they are considering what impact social media is having on young people in their respective nations.
“It is a common experience. This is not an Australian experience.”
Mia Bannister, who lost her 14-year-old son Oliver Hughes last year following a battle with disordered eating and mental health she said social media contributed to, thanked the PM for his actions to limit kids’ exposure to online harms.
Ms Bannister said her son’s life and that of fellow parents Emma Mason and Robb Evans, who both lost their teen children Tilly and Liv to suicide, “mattered”.
“Thank you to the collective of individuals, charities and organisations who came together and sang from the same song sheet to make this legislation a reality,” she said.
“It wasn’t the result of one voice, but the power of many, united in purpose, driven by hope and committed to protecting our kids.”
Google has cancelled a showcase the tech giant was due to host in Parliament out of respect for “grieving families” who met with Anthony Albanese following the announcement YouTube would be included in the social media ban.
The company emailed guests invited to the vent on Wednesday afternoon hours before it was due to start to advise of the postponement.
“Out of respect for grieving families who have gathered in Parliament House today, we have decided to postpone the annual Google at Parliament House event,” the email said.
Aussie kids under 16yo banned from having YouTube account
Australian children under 16 years old will no longer be able have a YouTube account as the Albanese Government opts to add the video platform to its social media age ban.
Labor’s decision to include YouTube in the age restriction laws due to take effect from December 10 follows advice from Australia’s eSafety Commissioner the platform had similar functions to other social media platforms — like TikTok and Instagram — deemed harmful to children.
Communications Minister Anika Wells will make the announcement in Canberra on Wednesday, and said the government was giving kids “reprieve from the persuasive and pervasive pull of social media while giving parents peace of mind”.
“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,” she said.
YouTube — along with Facebook Messenger Kids, Google Classroom and the Kids Helpline ‘MyCircle’ platform — had initially been excluded from the age restriction laws that passed parliament with bipartisan support last year.
But in June, Ms Wells published advice from eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant recommending YouTube be added to the ban because the platform had features the law was designed to protect children from, like autoplay, “endless” and “algorithmically” recommended content.
Ms Inman Grant said banning younger Australians from holding a YouTube account would not prevent them from accessing the platform entirely, as videos could still be viewed through links from school or in a “logged-out state”.
When browsing YouTube without a login users are automatically unable to view age restricted content.
But YouTube has been critical of this proposal, arguing safety measures designed to protect children on the platform could not be applied if a young user did not have an account.
A spokesman for YouTube said the company shared the government’s goal of “addressing and reducing online harms” but maintained the platform was “not social media”.
“Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly viewed on TV screens,” he said.
The spokesman also said the government’s decision to include YouTube in the social media ban reversed an “clear, public commitment” to exclude the platform last year.
“We will consider next steps and will continue to engage with the Government,” he said.
Ms Wells said the government’s social media rules were “not a set and forget”.
“They are a set and support,” she said.
“There’s a place for social media, but there’s not a place for predatory algorithms targeting children.
“We want kids to know who they are before platforms assume who they are.”
Ms Well said hefty fines of up to $49.5 million would be imposed on companies that failed to take reasonable steps to prevent underage account holders on their services.
Anthony Albanese said his government was making it clear it was “on the side of families”.
“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,” he said.
“I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs.”
The decision to add YouTube to the ban could prompt the platform’s owners Google to follow through with a threat to sue the government on “constitutional grounds”.
In a letter sent to Ms Wells last week, lawyers for Google warned the company was “considering its legal position” and outlined three possible options.
Among those was a potential High Court challenge arguing the ban would be an “impermissible fetter on the implied constitutional freedom of political communication”.
Originally published as Aussie kids under 16yo banned from having YouTube account
Join the conversation
Mushroom cook slapped with new ban
The home where Erin Patterson served her notorious mushroom lunch that left three of her relatives dead is now subject to a restraining order.
Read more
Chalmers’ warning ahead of rate cut hopes
The “important reminder” comes after the RBA disappointed homeowners after it held rates in July despite market expectations of a cut.
Read more