mirza kadic
In a bid to widen teen safety against harmful social media content, Australia on Tuesday included online video platform YouTube (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) on its list.
The country had passed a law in November last year banning children under the age of 16 on social media platforms after many parent groups expressed concerns about the dangers and negative impact certain online content had on kids.
YouTube joins the likes of Meta Platforms (META), Snapchat (SNAP), and TikTok (BDNCE), which were in the list since the law passed.
In March this year, the trio had pressed the Australian government to reconsider their decision that exempted YouTube from the new law.
YouTube had then claimed that it has automated detection systems in place that will be more aggressive on harmful content to protect teenagers and children.
Australia’s eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant told the government that her agency’s research found that 37% of children between ages 10 and 15 reported seeing harmful content on YouTube, which was the highest compared to rival social media platforms.
“We share the government’s goal of addressing and reducing online harms. 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,” a YouTube spokesperson said.
“The government’s announcement today reverses a clear, public commitment to exclude YouTube from this ban. We will consider next steps and will continue to engage with the government,” the spokesperson added.
Back in June, YouTube’s public policy manager for Australia and New Zealand, Rachel Lord, pointed to a 2024 research paper that showed that 84% of teachers in Australia use YouTube on at least a monthly basis in the classroom, with the same number saying it helps students continue learning outside the classroom as well.
“I’m calling time on it. I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
The law banning social media for teens is set to take effect in December.