Social media ban ‘hard to enforce, won’t protect kids’
A looming ban on under-16s using social media will not keep young people safe online, a tech giant has warned.
A Senate inquiry into including the video-sharing platform into world-leading legislation would block access to services aimed at protecting children on the site, YouTube representatives said.
Rachel Lord, the platform’s Australian senior manager, said that the ban, which will come into force in December, is not a solution for online security.
“The government’s plan to ban social media use for under-16s may be well-intentioned, but in practice it risks having unintended consequences,” the inquiry heard on Monday.
“Not only will the law be extremely difficult to enforce, it also fails to deliver on its promise to make children safer online.”
YouTube was initially granted exemption from the ban, but was added to the platform following the recommendation of the eSafety Commissioner.
Young people will be able to continue watching videos on the site, but they will not be able to create their own accounts and upload content.
Ms Lord said not having an account meant young people could not access safety and security features targeted at under-16s.
“The solution to keeping kids safer online is not to stop them from going online,” he said.
“This is about making sure the platforms have relevant guardrails in place.
“This legislation fundamentally misunderstands what YouTube is. It is a video streaming platform that Australians can use as a content library and learning resource. It is not social media.”
Representatives from Google and Microsoft were also present before the investigation. Requests were also sent to Meta, Snapchat and TikTok, but the invitations were declined.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, chair of the inquiry, said the committee would consider issuing subpoenas to force the tech giants to appear in court.
As part of the ban, starting from December 10, people under the age of 16 will be prevented from using social media platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram.
Social media companies will need to take reasonable steps to prevent children under 16 from maintaining accounts or risk large fines.
Communications Minister Anika Wells and eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant will meet with executives from Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, and other platforms about the ban.
Since most of the executives involved are based in the US, the talks will allow the government to outline its expectations for the platforms before the minimum age limit comes into force.
Labor argues the policy will help protect young Australians from harmful online content until they are old enough to better understand it.
“There is a place on social media, but there is no place for predatory algorithms that harm children,” Ms. Wells said.
But the road to the ban was marred by confusion over which platforms would be covered.
The government is preparing to launch an advertising campaign to outline the details of the ban for parents and children.
Labor has made social media age restrictions a defining issue and is lobbying other countries to do the same.
Ms Wells traveled to New York in September with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to discuss the ban with world leaders.
The European Union is now considering similar laws banning children from social media.
Australia’s Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national news channel and has been providing accurate, reliable and fast-paced news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We inform Australia.
