Including YouTube in social media ban ‘logical', opposition says
The videostreaming giant was initially set to be exempt, with the Albanese government arguing it could be educational.
But the online watchdog has since advised YouTube should be included.
Opposition communications spokeswoman Melissa McIntosh said on Sunday she agreed.
'Once again, we're going back to government policies and failures when it comes to protecting Australian children,' she told the ABC's Insiders program.
'The government decided to put forward legislation after a lot of pushing from the Coalition and advocacy groups.
'But there is an exemption for YouTube – why? Why is it?'
The eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, last month warned kids were using YouTube more than any other social media platform.
She said it was also causing the most harm to kids online.
'It's almost ubiquitous that kids are on social media,' she said at the time, also speaking to the ABC.
'By far the most prevalent social media site they're on is YouTube.
'And when we asked where they were experiencing harm and the kinds of harms they were experiencing, the most prevalent place where young Australians experienced harm was on YouTube – almost 37 per cent.
'This ranges from misogynistic content to hateful material, to violent fighting videos, online challenges, disordered eating, suicidal ideation.'
In her remarks on Sunday, Ms McIntosh called on the Albanese government to heed Ms Inman Grant's advice and include YouTube in the ban.
'It's a logical thing to do,' she said.
'What makes it complex is when there's some platforms that are out and then there's some that are in.
'If that's going to be the case, it needs to be clear to Australian families why that's the case.
'Because once again, it's our Australian kids that we need to be protecting first and foremost.'
The social media ban is set to come into force in December.
While other countries have mulled similar actions, Australia is the first to make the leap, receiving both praise and criticism.
Last month, the brains tasked with finding a way to enforce the ban said it was possible but that there was no 'silver bullet'.
The project's chief suggested successive validation, or a series of tests designed to firm up a user's age, could be the best bet.
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