Australia is pioneering a law banning children under 16 from using social media, but has faced backlash from the beginning as YouTube – owned by Alphabet – and the eSafety Commission clash over whether the platform should be exempt from the new regulation.
YouTube publicly rebuts the proposal from eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant to reverse the government's previous decision that allowed YouTube to be excluded from the Minimum Age Social Media Act.
The law will take effect in December, aiming to prevent children under 16 from accessing platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram owned by Meta, while imposing heavy penalties on violating platforms. Speaking at the National Press Club in Sydney, Inman Grant emphasized: "This battle is unfair when it comes to the safety of children on social media."
She warns that YouTube's design features, especially its recommendation algorithm, are created to keep users engaged but can simultaneously expose children to inappropriate content. Based on internal research, 37% of children aged 10 to 15 have encountered harmful content on YouTube – the highest compared to other platforms.
"I care most about the safety of children," she said, despite widespread support for the YouTube exemption.
YouTube fiercely counters
YouTube does not yield. On their official blog, they accuse the eSafety Commissioner of ignoring data, community sentiment, and expert assessments.
Rachel Lord – Public Policy and Government Relations Manager for YouTube in Australia and New Zealand, called Inman Grant's proposal "contradictory and inconsistent," especially when compared to the consensus among the government, educators, and parents over the past months.
"The eSafety Commissioner has ignored this data, the decision of the Australian Government, and clear evidence from teachers and parents showing that YouTube is suitable for younger users," Lord wrote.
The post also highlights a 2024 survey showing that 84% of Australian teachers use YouTube in the classroom at least once a month, while the education community values the channel's role in expanding knowledge beyond school hours.
Government-supported research also shows that 85% of children and nearly 69% of parents consider YouTube suitable for users under 15 years old, in stark contrast to concerns about platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
YouTube asserts that its core distinction lies in its functionality. They do not see themselves as a social media platform but as a massive video library, increasingly experienced on TV screens rather than just mobile phones.
The Australian government faces a difficult choice
Now, the Australian government is in a difficult position as it previously committed not to list YouTube as banned. A spokesperson for Communications Minister Anika Wells confirmed that her office has received an updated recommendation from the eSafety Commissioner and is considering next steps.
"The Minister's top priority is to ensure that the draft regulations achieve the goals of the Act and protect children from the harms of social media," the spokesperson affirmed.
Rival platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, and Meta have previously opposed any exceptions, and with the eSafety Commissioner pushing the new proposal, this argument may become increasingly reinforced.
On a global scale, the world is watching Australia. The country's social media age restriction law is a first-of-its-kind precedent, causing many other countries to closely monitor it, particularly how regulators define boundaries and the sustainability of these standards under scrutiny.
As the December deadline approaches, the government must make a crucial choice: maintain the exemption plan for YouTube or agree with the eSafety Commissioner's proposal to unify regulations for all platforms.
Source: https://tintucbitcoin.com/youtube-cang-thang-voi-uc-ve-cam-thanh-thieu-nien-tren-mxh-tien-dien-tu/
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