Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has urged the Federal Government to stop under-16s from creating a YouTube account as part of the social media ban.
The Government’s ban on children accessing apps like Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok comes into effect in December.
YouTube is currently exempt from the rules that apply to the other social media platforms.
The Government is also facing questions about how it will implement the ban, following reports of poor results in the age verification trial.
Social media ban
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
YouTube was initially listed as a platform exempt from the ban because the government said it’s predominately used for learning purposes.
In a speech last year, then-Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said YouTube, along with messaging platforms like WhatsApp: “Operate with a significant purpose to enable young people to get the education and health support they need.”
Currently, children under 13 aren’t able to set up a YouTube account.
Criticism
The exemption for YouTube came under fire from other social media companies.
In a submission to the Government’s consultation process, 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.”
“A sweetheart deal for just one platform won’t help the Government protect kids online; it will only hurt young Australians in the long run.”
eSafety
The eSafety Commissioner will enforce the new rules against the social media companies.
However, the rules themselves are separately drafted by the Government.
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Last week, Communications Minister Anika Wells asked Inman Grant to provide advice on the upcoming ban and the viability of the age assurance technology.
Inman Grant has advised the Federal Government to expand the ban to include blocking under-16s from YouTube.
Addressing the National Press Club, Inman Grant said recent eSafety research had shown four in 10 children reported being exposed to harmful content on YouTube, the highest of any platform.
“Our recommendation was that no specific platform be exempted,” Inman Grant said.
“The relative risks and harms can change at any given moment, especially the different features [the social media platforms] incorporate.”
In her letter to the Minister, she said children would still be able to access YouTube content without an account.
Response
In a statement, a spokesperson for Wells told TDA the Minister is “carefully considering” eSafety’s advice.
YouTube’s public policy senior manager Rachel Lord criticised eSafety’s advice, saying the video-sharing platform is used widely in classroom teaching.
In a statement, Lord said banning YouTube would ignore “evidence from teachers and parents that YouTube is suitable for younger users”.
Opposition
The Coalition has supported the under-16s ban, voting in favour of passing it through Parliament.
Shadow Communications Minister Melissa McIntosh said the eSafety Commissioner’s intervention amounted to a “vote of no confidence in the Government’s ability to implement the social media age minimum effectively”.
McIntosh has also pushed for clarity on how age verification would take effect.
“There are more questions than answers right now,” she said.
Age verification
The Government has commissioned a trial of “age assurance” technology ahead of the ban.
In its latest update, the government’s trial noted age verification could be achieved “privately, robustly, and effectively”. It concluded there were no major boundaries to rolling out the technology.
However, an ABC investigation found a company conducting a face-scanning technology trial had misidentified some 15-year-olds as being in their 20s and 30s.
