Australia’s recent legislation to block access to popular social media platforms for minors under 16 has sparked debate, particularly over its exemption of YouTube. While the ban will apply to platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and X, the government decided to leave Alphabet-owned YouTube accessible, citing its educational value and role in providing informational content.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland’s office defended the decision, stating that YouTube is not a “core social media application” and is widely relied upon by children, parents, and educational institutions for learning. However, some mental health and extremism experts argue that this exemption could undermine the broader goal of protecting young users from harmful content.
Despite the exemption, YouTube remains the most popular platform among Australian teenagers, with 90% of users aged 12-17 accessing it regularly. Experts, such as Macquarie University’s Lise Waldek, highlight the platform’s role in spreading extremist and harmful content, including far-right material, violence, and pornography. Researchers have also raised concerns about YouTube’s addictive algorithm, which they claim can promote dangerous content, particularly to young viewers.
Helen Young, a member of the Addressing Violent Extremism and Radicalisation to Terrorism Network, echoed these concerns, pointing out that YouTube’s algorithm feeds extremist material to users identified as young men and boys.
In response to these concerns, YouTube stated that it is committed to improving its content moderation and limiting the spread of potentially harmful videos. However, an investigation by Reuters tested YouTube’s algorithm using fictitious accounts for minors and found that within a few clicks, searches on topics like sex, COVID-19, and European History led to content promoting misogyny, extremism, and racism. Though YouTube removed some flagged videos, several harmful videos remained on the platform, leading to further criticism of the platform’s content control measures.
