Tell us: what role does YouTube play in your children's lives?

The Guardian

2 days ago

This week the federal government announced YouTube will be included in its social media ban, which restricts children under the age of 16 from having social media accounts. YouTube had initially been exempted from the ban.
YouTube, now 20 years old, has become a fixture of daily life for many Australian children. A 2024 study by the eSafety commissioner found that some 68% of 10 to 12-year-olds engaged with YouTube. Figures from a marketing agency released last month suggests the platform has an even broader reach, with three-quarters of two to nine-year-olds and 86% of 10 to 12-year-olds watching content on the platform. It suggested children spend an average of 74 minutes per day on YouTube.
In her advice to the communications minister, the eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman-Grant, warned that YouTube could be harmful to children and that its design 'may encourage excessive consumption without breaks and amplify exposure to harmful content'. Others have argued that YouTube plays an important role in the digital lives of young people, providing both information and entertainment.
The ban won't prohibit children from watching YouTube via their parents' or family accounts, but rather from having their own accounts.
We want to know from parents and young people themselves what role YouTube plays in the lives of Australian children.
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