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Euronews
27 minutes ago
- Business
- Euronews
Australia adds YouTube to social media ban for children under age 16
Australian teenagers under age 16 will be barred from making YouTube accounts, in an expansion of the country's world-first ban on social media for young people. The decision comes after the country's internet regulator asked the government to include YouTube in its ban on social media for under-16s last month. A previous decision had allowed YouTube to sidestep the policy, which will go into effect later this year. 'We know that social media is doing social harm,' Anthony Albanese, Australia's centre-left prime minister, said during a press conference. 'My government and this parliament are ready to take action to protect young Australians'. The ban for under-16s also includes social media platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Many Australians appear on board with some age restrictions. In a survey of nearly 4,000 Australians published last month, around nine out of ten respondents said they want some type of 'age assurance' on social media. YouTube is 'not social media,' company says About three in four 10- to 15-year-olds in Australia have used YouTube, making it more popular than other major platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, according to a survey from the office of eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant. Last month, Inman Grant recommended that YouTube be included in the social media ban due to evidence that children experience harmful content on the platform. In the survey, 37 per cent of children who had seen any harmful content online said they saw it on YouTube. 'Given the known risk of harms on YouTube … and without sufficient evidence demonstrating that YouTube predominately provides beneficial experiences for children under 16, providing a specific carve out for YouTube appears to be inconsistent with the purpose of the Act,' Inman Grant's June recommendations read. Under the new rules, children under 16 will still be able to access YouTube, but they will not be able to make accounts. In a statement, YouTube said it shares the government's goal of 'addressing and reducing online harms,' but that it should not be included in the ban because of the service it provides. 'Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content,' the company said. 'It's not social media'. Australia had previously excluded YouTube from the social media ban because it is a service that '[is] primarily for the purposes of education and health support,' the government said in a press release from last year. YouTube said it is 'considering next steps' while continuing to work with the government. Australian media reported that this could include a court challenge. The ban officially comes into place on December 10.
Mint
an hour ago
- Business
- Mint
Australia to ban YouTube for children under 16 to shield them from ‘predatory algorithm'
Australia YouTube Ban: Australia will no more allow children under 16 years of age to be present on YouTube, a top minister said on Wednesday, citing the need to shield them from 'predatory algorithm'. The Australia YouTube ban for children under 16 follows a similar move the country announced last year, which banned them from using Meta Platforms Inc.'s Facebook and Instagram, Snap Inc.'s Snapchat, TikTok and X — which is due to come into effect from December 10 onwards. 'Young people under the age of 16 will not be able to have accounts on YouTube. They will also not be able to have accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and X among other platforms. We want Australian parents and families to know that we have got their back,' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a press conference on Wednesday. 'We know this is not the only solution and there's more to do. But it will make a difference. We know that social media is doing social harm,' he added. Communications Minister Anika Wells said four-in-ten Australian children had reported viewing harmful content on YouTube, one of the most visited websites in the world. "We want kids to know who they are before platforms assume who they are," Wells said in a statement. 'There's a place for social media, but there's not a place for predatory algorithms targeting children.' The Australia YouTube ban comes despite the country earlier excluding the video-streaming platform from its list. Now YouTube, along with Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and X, faces a A$49.5 million ($32.2 million) fine if it fails to stop underage children from stopping to use their services, the government says. A spokesman for YouTube said Wednesday's announcement was a jarring U-turn from the government. "Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly viewed on TV screens," the company said in a statement. "It's not social media," the company said on its statement over Australia YouTube ban.
Dubai Eye
an hour ago
- Business
- Dubai Eye
Australia widens teen social media ban to YouTube, scraps exemption
Australia said on Wednesday it will add YouTube to sites covered by its world-first ban on social media for teenagers, reversing an earlier decision to exempt the Alphabet-owned video-sharing site and potentially setting up a legal challenge. The decision came after the internet regulator urged the government last month to overturn the YouTube carve-out, citing a survey that found 37 per cent of minors reported harmful content on the site, the worst showing for a social media platform. "I'm calling time on it," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement highlighting that Australian children were being negatively affected by online platforms, and reminding social media of their social responsibility. "I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs." The decision broadens the ban set to take effect in December. YouTube says it is used by nearly three-quarters of Australians aged 13 to 15, and should not be classified as social media because its main activity is hosting videos. "Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly viewed on TV screens. It's not social media," a YouTube spokesperson said by email. Since the government said last year it would exempt YouTube due to its popularity with teachers, platforms covered by the ban, such as Meta's Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, have complained. They say YouTube has key similarities to their products, including letting users interact and recommending content through an algorithm based on activity. The ban outlaws YouTube accounts for those younger than 16, allowing parents and teachers to show videos on it to minors. "Teachers are always curators of any resource for appropriateness (and) will be judicious," said Angela Falkenberg, president of the Australian Primary Principals Association, which supports the ban. Artificial intelligence has supercharged the spread of misinformation on social media platforms such as YouTube, said Adam Marre, chief information security officer at cyber security firm Arctic Wolf. "The Australian government's move to regulate YouTube is an important step in pushing back against the unchecked power of big tech and protecting kids," he added in an email. The reversal sets up a fresh dispute with Alphabet, which threatened to withdraw some Google services from Australia in 2021 to avoid a law forcing it to pay news outlets for content appearing in searches. Last week, YouTube told Reuters it had written to the government urging it "to uphold the integrity of the legislative process". Australian media said YouTube threatened a court challenge, but YouTube did not confirm that. "I will not be intimidated by legal threats when this is a genuine fight for the well-being of Australian kids," Communications Minister Anika Wells told parliament on Wednesday. The law passed in November only requires "reasonable steps" by social media platforms to keep out Australians younger than 16, or face a fine of up to A$49.5 million. The government, which is due to receive a report this month on tests of age-checking products, has said those results will influence enforcement of the ban.
an hour ago
- Business
Australia bans YouTube accounts for children under 16 in reversal of previous stance
MELBOURNE, Australia -- The Australian government announced YouTube will be among the social media platforms that must ensure account holders are at least 16-years-old from December, reversing a position taken months ago on the popular video-sharing service. YouTube was listed as an exemption in November last year when the Parliament passed world-first laws that will ban Australian children younger than 16 from platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and X. Communications Minister Anika Wells released rules Wednesday that decide which online services are defined as 'age-restricted social media platforms' and which avoid the age limit. The age restrictions take effect Dec. 10 and platforms will face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for 'failing to take responsible steps' to exclude underage account holders, a government statement said. The steps are not defined. Wells defended applying the restrictions to YouTube and said the government would not be intimidated by threats of legal action from the platform's U.S. owner, Alphabet Inc. 'The evidence cannot be ignored that four out of 10 Australian kids report that their most recent harm was on YouTube,' Wells told reporters, referring to government research. 'We will not be intimidated by legal threats when this is a genuine fight for the wellbeing of Australian kids.' Children will be able to access YouTube but will not be allowed to have their own YouTube accounts. YouTube said the government's decision 'reverses a clear, public commitment to exclude YouTube from this ban.' 'We share the government's goal of addressing and reducing online harms. Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly viewed on TV screens. It's not social media,' a YouTube statement said, noting it will consider next steps and engage with the government. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia would campaign at a United Nations forum in New York in September for international support for banning children from social media. 'I know from the discussions I've had with other leaders that they are looking at this and they are considering what impact social media is having on young people in their respective nations,' Albanese said. 'It is a common experience. This is not an Australian experience." Last year, the government commissioned an evaluation of age assurance technologies that was to report last month on how young children could be excluded from social media. The government had yet to receive that evaluation's final recommendations, Wells said. But she added the platform users won't have to upload documents such as passports and driver's licenses to prove their age. 'Platforms have to provide an alternative to providing your own personal identification documents to satisfy themselves of age,' Wells said. 'These platforms know with deadly accuracy who we are, what we do and when we do it. And they know that you've had a Facebook account since 2009, so they know that you are over 16." Exempt services include online gaming, messaging, education and health apps. They are excluded because they are considered less harmful to children. The minimum age is intended to address harmful impacts on children including addictive behaviors caused by persuasive or manipulative platform design features, social isolation, sleep interference, poor mental and physical health, low life-satisfaction and exposure to inappropriate and harmful content, government documents say.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Australia bans YouTube accounts for children under 16 in reversal of previous stance
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian government announced YouTube will be among the social media platforms that must ensure account holders are at least 16-years-old from December, reversing a position taken months ago on the popular video-sharing service. YouTube was listed as an exemption in November last year when the Parliament passed world-first laws that will ban Australian children younger than 16 from platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and X. Communications Minister Anika Wells released rules Wednesday that decide which online services are defined as 'age-restricted social media platforms' and which avoid the age limit. The age restrictions take effect Dec. 10 and platforms will face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for 'failing to take responsible steps' to exclude underage account holders, a government statement said. The steps are not defined. Wells defended applying the restrictions to YouTube and said the government would not be intimidated by threats of legal action from the platform's U.S. owner, Alphabet Inc. 'The evidence cannot be ignored that four out of 10 Australian kids report that their most recent harm was on YouTube,' Wells told reporters, referring to government research. 'We will not be intimidated by legal threats when this is a genuine fight for the wellbeing of Australian kids.' YouTube said the government's decision 'reverses a clear, public commitment to exclude YouTube from this ban.' 'We share the government's goal of addressing and reducing online harms. Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly viewed on TV screens. It's not social media,' a YouTube statement said, noting it will consider next steps and engage with the government. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia would campaign at a United Nations forum in New York in September for international support for banning children from social media. 'I know from the discussions I've had with other leaders that they are looking at this and they are considering what impact social media is having on young people in their respective nations,' Albanese said. 'It is a common experience. This is not an Australian experience." Last year, the government commissioned an evaluation of age assurance technologies that was to report last month on how young children could be excluded from social media. The government had yet to receive that evaluation's final recommendations, Wells said. But she added the platform users won't have to upload documents such as passports and driver's licenses to prove their age. 'Platforms have to provide an alternative to providing your own personal identification documents to satisfy themselves of age,' Wells said. 'These platforms know with deadly accuracy who we are, what we do and when we do it. And they know that you've had a Facebook account since 2009, so they know that you are over 16." Exempt services include online gaming, messaging, education and health apps. They are excluded because they are considered less harmful to children. The minimum age is intended to address harmful impacts on children including addictive behaviors caused by persuasive or manipulative platform design features, social isolation, sleep interference, poor mental and physical health, low life-satisfaction and exposure to inappropriate and harmful content, government documents say.
