Our response to Australia’s Social Media Bill

Updated November 29, 2024

The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill was just passed by the Australian Parliament, banning Australians under the age of 16 from holding an account on ‘social media’.

We are disappointed by the Australian Parliament's hasty passage of this Bill. Online safety is crucial, but effective regulation requires consultation and careful consideration. This rushed legislation overlooks the fundamental differences between services and the unique benefits these can deliver to Australian youth.

We urge the Government to swiftly follow through on their commitment to preserve access to services that “operate[s] with a significant purpose to enable young people to get the education and health support they need” and pass legislative rules that clearly exempt YouTube, thereby providing certainty to Australian families, creators, teachers, and educators.

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Original post

Yesterday, the Australian Government introduced a bill banning social media accounts for under 16s. We appreciate the government’s recognition that YouTube “operates with a significant purpose to enable young people to get the education and health support they need” and that there needs to be a pathway to preserve access. We also know that details matter and want to ensure that this intention is reflected in the bill itself. We look forward to working with the government to give effect to this commitment and to provide certainty to Australian users and the creator community.

This is important not just for our own business but for the parents, educators and creators that rely on YouTube for information, education and their livelihoods. Here are some considerations we hope are taken into account as the legislation is finalised.

• YouTube is a video-sharing platform where users come to find and watch diverse content, like educational videos, sports highlights, news clips, and music videos. Additionally, YouTube viewing habits are evolving. With the rise of connected TVs, many Australians are now accessing YouTube in shared family spaces, further differentiating it from the typical social media experience. Views on connected TVs have more than doubled in the last 3 years in Australia.

• YouTube was one of the first platforms to offer experiences designed specifically for young people, and over the years we’ve built separate age-appropriate experiences for kids, tweens and teens through YouTube Kids, supervised experiences and our new teen supervision feature.

• YouTube’s positive benefits have been widely recognised by experts when it comes to education, connection with communities, mental health information, knowledge for personal growth and support for marginalised communities. An August survey on World Teachers’ Day found that 84% of teachers surveyed in Australia use YouTube on at least a monthly basis to help their students learn.
  

We take immense pride in the healthy and diverse creator ecosystem in Australia, with many local creators producing high-quality content that reach young people all around the world. Kids content creators like The Wiggles and Bounce Patrol entertain and educate through their catchy songs and vibrant videos, while education creators like Eddie Woo have supported many young people in their home learning through the challenging period of COVID-19, and young Australian creators like Miller Wilson leverage YouTube to showcase their passions and champion social causes.

We remain committed to keeping Australian families safe and have invested heavily in this area to ensure YouTube remains a safe and enriching place for kids and teens. Guiding our work in this space are YouTube's Youth Principles that place the safety, mental health and wellbeing of kids and teens as a top priority.

We understand the complexities of regulating digital platforms, and welcome the government's intention to adopt a nuanced approach to different services. We will continue to work with the government through collaboration and open dialogue, and are hopeful they will reflect their intention to exempt YouTube in the final bill.