eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant sits on research underpinning demands for YouTube ban under social media laws
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant recently argued that children should be banned from the video streaming platform in her speech to the National Press Club.
Ms Inman Grant claimed she had written to Communications Minister Anika Wells encouraging children be banned from YouTube because of the evidence.
'I don't make determinations or write recommendations to the minister based on whether I keep the public onside, I follow the evidence,' she said last Tuesday.
However, SkyNews.com.au can reveal that Ms Inman Grant is refusing to publicly release the full research.
Ms Inman Grant and her office have also refused to send the research to YouTube, leaving the streaming platform unable to fact-check or dispute claims which have been sent to the minister.
If Ms Inman Grant's lobbying is successful, YouTube will be restricted by sweeping new legislative changes without having an opportunity to provide a counter argument.
A decision is expected to be made by Labor in the coming weeks.
An eSafety spokesperson claimed that they had 'responded' to stakeholder requests but acknowledged they have not published the full findings from their research.
When asked to provide the research in the interest of transparency, the regulator declined, and instead said the findings would be drip fed to the public in 'stages'.
'The data referenced in the Commissioner's National Press Club speech last week represented a subset of a broader study,' the spokesperson said.
'eSafety is publishing the results of this research in stages as part of its Keeping Kids Safe Online series.'
The office of the Communication Minister told SkyNews.com.au that Ms Wells was 'carefully considering' the advice and would consult with stakeholders.
Ms Inman Grant's lobbying efforts put her at odds with the Albanese government, which previously ruled that YouTube would not be captured by the ban.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed in November, 2024, that YouTube would be exempted from the ban given its 'education and health support' content.
The government's own research at the time found parents believed YouTube was suitable for young people.
According to those findings, 85 per cent of children and around 70 per cent of parents considered YouTube appropriate for those aged 15 and under.
YouTube, which has previously warned that including the platform in the ban would jeopardise access to children's content, has hit back at Ms Inman Grant's claims.
Rachel Lord, Public Policy Manager for YouTube Australia & New Zealand said YouTube's exemption was grounded in extensive research.
'Today's position from the eSafety Commissioner represents inconsistent and contradictory advice,' Ms Lord said on Tuesday.
'We urge the government to follow through on the public commitment it made to ensure young Australians can continue to access enriching content on YouTube.'
Children's entertainers, including The Wiggles and Bounce Patrol, have also previously lobbied against YouTube's inclusion in the ban.
The beloved children's entertainers argued it would limit safe content for families and harm the future of local kids' programming.
The office of the Communications Minister said that Ms Wells' priority was to protect children.
'The minister's top priority is making sure the draft rules fulfil the objective of the act and protect children from the harms of social media,' Ms Wells' spokesperson said.
'The law places the onus on social media platforms – not parents or young people – to take reasonable steps to ensure protections are in place.
'The Albanese government knows our world-leading social media delay will not be a cure-all for the harms experienced by young people online but is an unprecedented step in the right direction.'
The social media ban for under 16s will come into effect from December, 2025.
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