Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has urged the federal government to reconsider an exemption granted to YouTube in the country’s proposed social media restrictions for users under 16, setting up a public standoff between the national regulator and the Alphabet-owned platform.
The Albanese government plans to introduce legislation by December that would ban children under 16 from accessing social media and penalise platforms that fail to comply. While most major platforms are expected to fall under the scope of the law, YouTube was initially granted a waiver due to its educational and health-related content.
However, in a speech at the National Press Club on Tuesday, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the exemption should be revoked, citing internal research that found YouTube was the most frequently reported platform for harmful content by children. According to the regulator’s data, 37% of children aged 10 to 15 had encountered harmful material on YouTube, more than on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat.
“YouTube is not immune,” said Inman Grant, adding that the rationale for its exclusion lacked evidence. YouTube responded via a blog post, pushing back against what it called “inconsistent and contradictory advice” from the Commissioner’s office. Rachel Lord, YouTube’s public policy lead for Australia and New Zealand, noted that government-commissioned research shows 69% of parents consider the platform appropriate for users under 15. A spokesperson for Communications Minister Anika Wells said the minister is currently reviewing the latest advice from the regulator.