Australian eSafety Commissioner wants to ban YouTube for under-16s

Julie Inman Grant, Australia's eSafety Commissioner, has recently urged the federal government to reconsider its proposed exemption of YouTube from an upcoming social media ban for under-16s in December, according to a recent report by Reuters.

Australia prepares to introduce a landmark law in December that would make it the first country to penalise social media companies that fail to restrict access to users under the age of 16. While the legislation is being closely followed by international policymakers and tech executives, uncertainty remains over how uniformly it will be applied.

The Australian government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, led by the centre-left Labor Party, has previously indicated that YouTube would be granted an exemption due to its educational and health-related content. This decision has drawn criticism from other platforms such as Meta's Facebook and Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat - which argue that such a waiver is inconsistent and unfair, as per the Reuters report.

According to the report, Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant called for a level playing field. She revealed that her office had formally recommended to the government that no platform should be exempt. Citing internal research, Julie said that 37% of children aged 10 to 15 had encountered harmful content on YouTube which is more than on any other social media platform.

"This is not a fair fight where our kids are concerned," she said, warning that YouTube's recommendation algorithms and notification systems keep young users engaged in ways that are difficult to resist. "YouTube has mastered those, opaque algorithms driving users down rabbit holes they're powerless to fight against."

In response, YouTube rejected the criticism in a blog post, calling Julie's position inconsistent and dismissive of evidence that supports the platform's suitability for younger audiences. 

Rachel Lord, YouTube's Public Policy and Government Relations Senior Manager for Australia and New Zealand, pointed to government-commissioned research indicating that 68.5% of parents believe the platform is appropriate for children under 15.

When asked about surveys supporting YouTube exemption, the Australian eSafety Commissioner said, "I'm more concerned about the safety of children, and that's always going to surpass any concerns I have about politics or being liked or bringing the public onside."

According to the recent Reuters report, a spokesperson for the Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells confirmed the government was reviewing the eSafety Commissioner's advice, stating that the minister's top priority remains ensuring the final regulations align with the Act's purpose which is to protect children from the harms of social media.

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