According to the details, initially the video sharing platform YouTube was exempted from this ban, however, now the government has withdrawn this decision and included YouTube among the platforms on which the ban will be implemented from December.
According to a foreign news agency report, under this ban, children under the age of 16 will be able to watch YouTube videos, but they will not be allowed to create an account on the platform, which is necessary for uploading videos or interacting with others such as comments.
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YouTube, which is owned by Google, argued that it should not be included in the social media category because it “provides useful and educational content” for young people. However, Australia’s e-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant recommended that YouTube be included in the ban, saying it was the platform with the highest reported exposure to “harmful content” among children aged 10 to 15.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told the media on Wednesday that social media is harming our children, and I want to assure Australian parents that the government stands with them.
Federal Communications Minister Anika Wells said that while there are some positive uses of social media, there is "no place for dangerous algorithms targeting children." She compared the situation to teaching children to swim in the ocean, where dangers such as sharks are present.
"We can t control the ocean, but we can control sharks. That s why we are making this decision for the welfare of Australian children, without coming under legal pressure," she said. The ban will also apply to TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), and Snapchat. Online gaming, messaging, educational, and health-related apps have been exempted from the ban because they are considered relatively less risky for underage users.
If tech companies violate the law, they could face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (about 32.5 million US dollars). The companies would have to close existing accounts of underage users and would not be allowed to register new accounts. It should be noted that Norway has already announced such a ban, while the UK is also considering it. Further details will be presented to the Australian Parliament.
