Labor's YouTube ban would face backlash from parents as overwhelming majority say it helps kids learn

Sky News AU

4 days ago

Parents overwhelmingly consider YouTube to be a valuable learning resource, with new research revealing just how unpopular Labor' social media ban for children would be.
It comes after a growing group of lawmakers expressed frustration that the government backflipped on its previous exemption for YouTube in the under-16 social media ban laws.
Labor has considered breaking its promise and dragging YouTube into the ban after being lobbied by Chinese-owned platform TikTok.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has also pressured Labor to break its pledge and ban the video sharing platform.
YouTube has since released new research by Oxford Economics which found 72 per cent of parents think the video sharing platform 'helps their children learn'.
Head of YouTube Australia Ed Miles said families took advantage of sophisticated parental controls and safety features to make the platform appropriate for learning.
'This new research from Oxford Economics demonstrates that Australian parents not only trust YouTube as a valuable learning resource, but also feel confident in guiding their children to use YouTube responsibly,' he said.
'This reflects parents' active involvement and their comfort in navigating YouTube alongside their children, using our safety features and parental controls.'
The research also found: 72 per cent of parents who use YouTube agree that YouTube (or YouTube Kids) helps their children learn.
79 per cent of parents who use YouTube agree that YouTube (or YouTube Kids) provides quality content for their children's learning and/or entertainment.
74 per cent of parents who use YouTube feel confident in their ability to guide their child on how to use YouTube (or YouTube Kids) responsibly.
The figures come after SkyNews.com.au revealed Ms Inman Grant misled Labor by suggesting YouTube was an algorithmically dangerous platform, falsely suggesting her comments were based on evidence.
"I don't make determinations or write recommendations to the minister based on whether I keep the public onside. I follow the evidence," she said, at the National Press Club in June.
"My main concern with these platforms is that harms are happening, but I talked about the pervasive design features.
"YouTube has mastered those. Opaque algorithms driving users down rabbit holes they're powerless to fight against."
Both Labor and eSafety refused to share this research until SkyNews.com.au lodged a Freedom of Information request.
Once SkyNews.com.au obtained the research it was clear the findings had been misrepresented.
In fact, it found that YouTube was one of the safest platforms for key risk concerns such as grooming, sexual harassment and bullying.
Children are more likely to be bullied via text messages than on YouTube.
The percentage of teenagers who reported being groomed on YouTube was three per cent, the same percentage as teenagers who reported grooming via text messages.
On Snapchat the figure was seven times higher at 23 per cent. On Instagram it was five times higher at 17 per cent.
There was no recommendation from Ms Inman Grant to ban text messages for teenagers.
Users need to be at least 13-years-old to create a YouTube account, meaning eSafety's proposed ban would only impact teenagers.
Sky News Digital Editor Jack Houghton, host of The Media Show, told his audience the survey was a "flawed" way to research the issue as it was based on the perceptions of young children who were being asked to self-identify 'harmful content'.