YouTube will be included in Australia’s world-first social media ban for children after the government’s last exemption for the platform.
The video sharing site was excluded from the ban – which would limit Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook, X and Snapchat and start in December.
Google -owned YouTube argued that it should not be blocked for Under -16 because it “not social media service” and its platform “provides benefits and value to young Australians”.
Under the ban, the youth will still be able to watch YouTube videos, but will not be allowed to have an account, which is necessary to upload the material or interact on the platform.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanis told the media on Wednesday, “Social media is doing social loss to our children, and I want Australian parents to know that we have their back.”
“We know that this is not the only solution,” he said about the ban, “but it will make a difference.”
Australia’s Esafity Commissioner Julie Inman Grant recommended to be added to the ban last month as it was “most often cited”, where children between the ages of 10 to 15 saw “harmful materials”.
Federal Communications Minister Anika Wales said that there is a place for social media, “There is no place for the hunter algorithms that target children”.
He tried to protect the children from the loss of the Internet, such as “trying to teach their children to swim in the open sea with RIP and sharks than the local council pool”.
“We cannot control the ocean, but we can police to the police and that is why we will not be afraid of legal threats when this is a real battle for the good of the Australian children,” he said, referring to local media reports that Google plans to sue the policy.
Wells stated that exclusion for the ban would include “online gaming, messaging, education and health apps”, as they “reduce less social media horms by 16S”, Wales said.
Under the ban, tech companies can be fined up to $ 50m ($ 50m ($ 32.5m; £ 25.7m)) if they do not follow age sanctions. They will need to neutralize existing accounts and restrict any new accounts, as well as prevent any work and correct errors.
More information about how the new ban will be made due to the presented to the Federal Parliament on Wednesday.
