Political rebellion erupts as Albanese government attempts to sneak YouTube into social media ban after laws passed

Sky News AU

17-07-2025

In an extraordinary post-legislative twist, an unlikely alliance of lawmakers have warned the Albanese government against attempting to quietly ban YouTube after its social media laws were already passed.
After lobbying from Chinese-owned platform, TikTok, and eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, Communications Minister Anika Wells has backflipped on Labor's previous commitment to exempt YouTube from the under-16 social media ban.
There have been reports that Ms Wells has already decided to add YouTube to the ban, which she has not publicly denied.
The move has triggered backflash from an unlikely alliance across the political divide, including Australia's Voice senator Fatima Payman, Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.
The diverse set of politicians has warned that the government appears to be pursuing post-legislative amendments, with little evidence to support any change.
Ms Sharkie said the government was lumping YouTube in with interactive social platforms, like TikTok and Instagram, without proper scrutiny.
'This legislation was rushed through without the appropriate consultation and consideration,' Ms Sharkie told SkyNews.com.au
'Now YouTube is being brought into the mix to be treated like any other platform under the legislation. But I don't think that's the right move.
'YouTube should not be included in the ban because it's different to other social media where people are actively interacting. (It's) used for information, education and instructional purposes.'
Senator Payman also took aim at the government's handling of the policy, accusing it of relying on 'band aid' fixes and a chaotic rollout.
'I have been against this ban from the beginning, and the government's approach has been all over the shop,' Ms Payman said to SkyNews.com.au.
'This social media ban is fundamentally flawed. For instance, you don't necessarily need an account on YouTube to access most of the content.
'The government has previously acknowledged that YouTube is an educational resource, so we need to tread carefully and a blanket ban is not appropriate.'
While Ms Payman expressed concern about YouTube's advertising model targeting children, she stressed that 'banning it entirely doesn't seem appropriate'.
Ms Hanson, who rarely finds common cause with Ms Payman, echoed her criticisms, warning the government not to renege on the YouTube exemption.
She said the law had been passed with a clear understanding YouTube would remain accessible and that 'the case has not been made' for changing that.
'It's the thin end of the wedge, with this Labor government and bureaucrats like Julie Inman Grant looking to monitor and control everything we see and do,' Ms Hanson said.
'This is obvious government overreach putting us on the path to communism… It has started with the kids under the guise of protecting them from bullies.
'It will end up with every Australian adult being forced to identify themselves whenever they want to do a simple Google search.'
Ms Hanson added that YouTube remains 'an important resource for Australians, and particularly school children.'
'No matter what happens, I'm still going to let my grandchildren use YouTube. It's not the business of the government or Grant to determine what our children can see," she said.
The backlash comes after the entire senate crossbench, along with Nationals Senator Matt Canavan and Liberal Senator Alex Antic, opposed the original bill in 2024.
The law, set to take effect in December 2025, will ban under-16s from using social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat.
Platforms failing to take 'reasonable steps' to verify users' ages risk fines of up to $50 million.
Lobbying by TikTok and public pressure from Ms Inman Grant has prompted Ms Wells to reconsider the status of YouTube in the ban.
TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, has argued that exempting YouTube would be a competitive disadvantage for them.
The company has employed Labor-aligned lobby firm Anacta Strategies to advise them on their government relations strategy.
Sky News has confirmed that TikTok held meetings with Ms Wells' office — though the government has refused to disclose who attended or what was discussed.
Ms Inman Grant, meanwhile, has publicly supported removing YouTube's exemption, but initially declined to release the full research behind her recommendation.
That report — released after freedom of information requests were made — did not support her arguments for the ban, and the evidence 'may be subject to a range of biases'.
Shadow communications minister Melissa McIntosh criticised the lack of transparency and said there were still no details on how the ban would be implemented.
Despite the review, several educational content creators told SkyNews.com.au they had been shut out of the consultation process.
YouTube creator Shannon Jones, from the globally popular children's channel Bounce Patrol, said she had contacted the minister's office but received no response.
'I reached out… but haven't heard back… Everything is just being done so fast, like it's all being considered and decided in the space of a week,' she said.
The government has not confirmed when a final decision will be made on YouTube's status.