Report from Reuters
In Brief – Australia’s eSafety Commissioner is recommending that the Albanese Government not exempt YouTube from the country’s strict social-media age limit of 16 years old despite the government’s initial plan to do so. Google representatives pushed back on the call to apply the age limit to its video platform, arguing that data shows it is suitable for younger users. The intention to exclude YouTube from the social media age threshold has been criticized by other digital platforms with large numbers of teen users including Meta, TikTok, and Snap. The age limit, which goes into effect in December, is considered among the strictest in the world because it allows no form of parental exemption. YouTube, one of the digital platforms most widely used by teens around the world, including in Australia, was to be exempted based on the government’s determination that the primary purpose for younger users was addressing health and education needs, an exemption written into the law. However, the eSafety Commissioner cited research that points to YouTube as the platform cited by the most young users in Australia as the place they came into contact with harmful content.
Context – Like his predecessor, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been willing to be tough on US tech companies. So, it was a bit unusual to see YouTube get a carve out from such a high-profile government policy as the social media age limit. But we also noted at the time the possible impact of how Google and Meta have taken different paths on the equally high-profile and contentious Australian policy of forcing the two digital giants to pay millions to Australian media companies. Before the government pushed through its social media age limit, Meta announced that it planned to stop paying Australian media companies and was willing to block media posts instead. Google appears willing to keep paying. The Albanese Government responded to Meta by proposing a new tax on social media companies that won’t pay up. And, the government later exempted YouTube from the age limit, but not Instagram. Funny coincidence. But maybe not anymore.