YouTube says Australian social media ban will be less safe for children

YouTube says Australia’s “rushed” introduction of new laws to prevent teenagers from using its platform will mean children will be less safe as its “robust parental controls” will be stripped away.

Starting December 10, a social media ban for teens under 16 comes into effect, with parents “losing the ability to supervise teen accounts” such as content settings or blocking channels. Kids can still watch the videos, but no account is required.

Communications Minister Anika Wells responded by saying it was “very strange” for YouTube to highlight the dangers of its platform to children.

“If YouTube is reminding all of us that it’s not safe … that’s something YouTube needs to address,” Wells said Wednesday.

The platform’s statement comes as Australia’s internet regulator sets its sights on two little-known apps that teenagers flocked to before the country’s social media ban.

Lemon8 and Yope, owned by the creators behind TikTok, are video and photo-sharing apps that have seen a recent rise in downloads, prompting Electronic Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant to ask them to self-assess whether they fall within the scope of the ban.

this Government revokes exemption for YouTube The eSafety Commissioner said the platform was the “most cited platform” for children aged 10 to 15 to see “harmful content”.

In a statement on Wednesday, the video-sharing platform said it would comply but that the new law undermines more than a decade of work to establish “strong protections and parental controls that families rely on for a safer YouTube experience.”

“The bottom line is that this law will not deliver on its promise to make kids safer online and will, in fact, make YouTube safer for Australian kids,” wrote Rachel Lord, senior manager of public policy at Google and YouTube Australia, adding that parents and educators shared the same concerns.

She labeled the ban (under the Social Media Minimum Age Act) as “rushed regulation that misunderstands our platform and the way young Australians use it”.

Starting December 10, anyone under the age of 16 will be automatically logged out of their YouTube account, meaning they will not be able to upload content or post comments. YouTube Kids is not part of the ban.

Additionally, default wellness settings, such as reminders to take a break or go to bed, will no longer be available to children as they are only available to the account holder.

Ms Lord said the legislation “fails to adequately consult and consider the true complexities of online safety regulation”.

YouTube parent company Google has reportedly considered launching a legal challenge to the platform’s inclusion ban. It did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment.

Wells said in a speech on Wednesday, a week before the ban takes effect, that some problems are expected to arise in the first days and weeks.

“Regulatory and cultural change takes time. It takes patience,” she said.

Wells said Generation Alpha — anyone under the age of 15 — is connected to a “dopamine drip” from the moment they have a smartphone and a social media account.

She said previous generations had dealt with bullying or potentially harmful content, but had limited ability to do so. New technology means today’s children have “constant access” to algorithms and notifications that “capture their attention for hours every day”.

“By passing a law, we can protect Generation Alpha from being dragged into purgatory by predatory algorithms Described by the person who created the feature Like behavioral cocaine. “

Tech companies must provide regular reports every six months on how many accounts they have under 16s, she said.

Under the ban, tech companies could be fined up to A$49.5 million ($33 million, £25 million) if they don’t comply with age restrictions. They need to deactivate existing accounts and ban any new accounts, as well as stop any workarounds.

Other platforms subject to the ban include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, Twitch, Threads, Reddit and Kick.