Australia Adds YouTube to Social-Media Ban for Young Teens
Dow Jones Newswires ·
By Mike Cherney
SYDNEY--Australia said it will include YouTube in its social-media ban for young teenagers, reopening a debate over how best to regulate social media and reduce online harms.
Officials had previously indicated they would exempt YouTube from the ban, which prohibits people under 16 from having social-media accounts, because the video sharing website has educational content. But officials reversed course after being presented with evidence that teens can still be harmed on YouTube, which is owned by Alphabet's Google.
"We know that social media is doing social harm," said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. "My government and this Parliament is prepared to take action to protect young Australians."
The ban passed Parliament toward the end of last year. On Wednesday, officials said that certain services, such as online gaming, messaging apps, and health and education services, will be exempt from the ban, but YouTube will be included. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and X are also included in the ban, officials said.
The government appeared to be swayed by a recommendation from Australia's eSafety Commissioner, an independent online safety regulator, that YouTube not be excluded from the ban. A survey from the commissioner found that 37% of children were most recently exposed to harmful content on YouTube, more than any other platform in the survey.
The ban, which Australian officials describe as "world leading," comes as jurisdictions all over the globe wrestle with how to regulate access to social media, amid concerns that it is having a negative impact on young people's mental health.
A YouTube spokesperson said the platform shares the government's goal of addressing and reducing online harms, and that it will consider its next steps.
"Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly viewed on TV screens. It's not social media," the spokesperson said.
"The government's announcement today reverses a clear, public commitment to exclude YouTube from this ban," the spokesperson added.
YouTube's terms of service already say children must be 13 to use the platform without parental permission.
Australia's rules kick in Dec. 10. The platforms will face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars, equivalent to $32.2 million, for failing to take steps to prevent underage account holders from using their services, officials said.
It will be up to the platforms to police the ban and parents and kids wouldn't face penalties, officials have said. Teenagers will still be able to see content that is accessible without an account, or via accounts held by parents or teachers.
"As parents, we are really trying our best when it comes to the internet, but it is like trying to teach your kids to swim in the open ocean, with the rips and the sharks, compared to at the local council pool," said Anika Wells, Australia's communications minister. "We can't control the ocean, but we can police the sharks."
Some research is more favorable to YouTube. Another report funded by the Australian government found that 85% of children and some 68% of parents indicated YouTube was appropriate for people 15 years old and under, the highest among all platforms in that survey.
Wells said platforms will need to deactivate existing accounts that they know are held by underage people, make sure no new accounts are activated, and take reasonable steps to ensure that kids don't find workarounds.
Australia has commissioned a so-called age assurance technology trial that is looking at ways to manage access to online content based on a user's age. Preliminary findings from the trial suggest that it can be done, though the final report has yet to be released.
Write to Mike Cherney at [email protected]
Source:
Dow Jones Newswires