YouTube makes last-ditch attempt to lobby government against inclusion in under-16s social media ban
Google, YouTube's owner, will host a major event featuring popular YouTubers inside Parliament House this week, as a final decision looms on which tech platforms will be off-limits for children.
But the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has voiced concern about content on YouTube, hinting the video platform may be included in the ban and dismissing Google's threat to sue the federal government.
'The [communications] minister will make these assessments and we'll make these assessments … independent of any of these threats that are made by the social media companies,' Albanese told the ABC's Insiders.
'There is no doubt that young people are being impacted adversely in their mental health by some of the engagement with social media and that is why the government has acted,' he said on Sunday. 'I'll be meeting with parents again this week of people who've been through tragedy.'
The communications minister, Anika Wells, will imminently announce the final makeup of the social media ban. Although former communications minister Michelle Rowland initially indicated YouTube would be part of the ban legislated in December 2024, the regulations exempted the Google-owned video site. But last month, the eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, recommended YouTube be included in the ban after all.
YouTube's status in the ban has been contentious. Google criticised calls for it to be included, accusing Inman Grant of ignoring parents and teachers, and maintaining YouTube functioned differently to other apps. Meta, TikTok and Snapchat, meanwhile, all to be included in the ban, have campaigned against YouTube's carve out, calling it 'irrational'.
Google wrote to Wells last week, declaring it was considering its legal position if YouTube was included in the ban – including on grounds of whether it restricted the implied constitutional freedom of political communication.
A YouTube spokesperson confirmed the company had written to the government, 'urging them to uphold the integrity of the legislative process and protect the age-appropriate experiences and safeguards we provide for young Australians.'
'The Government was firm in its decision that YouTube would be excluded because it is different and because of its value to younger Australians,' the spokesperson said.
'However, signals that the Government is contemplating an abrupt policy reversal have prompted us to seek further clarity on this matter. Our position has always been clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform, not a social media service, that offers benefit and value to younger Australians.'
Representatives from many tech companies and organisations will be in Canberra this week for industry events at Parliament House.On Wednesday is the annual 'Google at Parliament House' event, a popular function spruiking Google products. Previous instalments have featured The Wiggles as entertainment. Invitations seen by Guardian Australia advertise local act The Rubens for this week's lineup.
Invitations for the Google event, which has been issued in large numbers across parliament, spruik that guests can 'hear from partners, businesses and meet some of Australia's most beloved YouTube Creators, including The Mik Maks and Never Too Small'.
Guardian Australia has reported The Mik Maks, who make children's educational videos, had spoken out against YouTube's inclusion in the ban and written to Wells to support the Google company.
Asked about the Google legal threat on Insiders, Albanese said the government had not made a final decision, but soon would. He pointed to the eSafety commission's research findings that four in 10 children in a survey had reported being exposed to harmful content on YouTube.
'So, her [Inman Grant's] recommendation is very clear,' Albanese said.
'One of the things that concerns some of the social media companies is that we are leading the world and I'm proud that we're prepared to stand these people up effectively from their threats.'
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