Sydney - The Australian government has expanded the scope of the ban on social media for minors to include YouTube. This major decision has been taken by the Australian government, which has ended the exemption given earlier by the government. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement that he stands with parents and this step has been taken in view of the negative impact of online platforms on Australian children.
The decision came after the recommendation of the internet regulator, which cited a survey that 37 percent of minors reported watching harmful content on YouTube, which was the highest of all social media platforms.
YouTube, on the other hand, says that it is used by about three-quarters of Australian children aged 13 to 15 and that it should not be classified as social media, as its main function is to host videos.
It is worth noting that the government had previously exempted YouTube due to its popularity among teachers, but other platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok opposed it. They say that YouTube is similar to their products because it also allows users to interact with each other and recommends content through algorithms.
Under this ban, children under the age of 16 will be prohibited from creating YouTube accounts, although parents and teachers will be able to show videos to children. The Australian Primary Principals Association has supported this ban. An official from cybersecurity firm Arctic Wolf said that artificial intelligence has greatly accelerated the spread of misinformation on platforms like YouTube. Therefore, this step by the Australian government is very important for the protection of children.
The decision has sparked a new dispute with Google's parent company Alphabet, which had previously threatened to withdraw some services from Australia in 2021 to avoid a law. YouTube has urged the government to respect the legal process and Australian media have even said that YouTube is preparing to launch a court challenge, although YouTube has not confirmed this. Under the law, passed in November last year, social media platforms must take “reasonable steps” to keep Australian children under 16 off their platforms, or face fines of up to $49.5 million. The government is due to receive a report this month on tests of age-verification products, the results of which will influence how it enforces the ban.