Australia’s social media laws face criticism over YouTube exemption

Australia’s government recently passed laws banning social media access for children under 16, targeting platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and X. However, YouTube was granted an exemption, with the government arguing that it serves as a valuable educational tool and is not a ‘core social media application.’ That decision followed input from company executives and educational content creators, who argued that YouTube is essential for learning and information-sharing. While the government claims broad community support for the exemption, some experts believe this undermines the goal of protecting children from harmful online content.

Mental health and extremism experts have raised concerns that YouTube exposes young users to dangerous material, including violent, extremist, and addictive content. Despite being exempted from the ban, YouTube has been criticised for its algorithm, which researchers say can promote far-right ideologies, misogyny, and conspiracy theories to minors. Studies conducted by academics have shown that the platform delivers problematic content within minutes of search queries, including harmful videos on topics like sex, COVID-19, and European history.

To test these claims, Reuters created child accounts and found that searches led to content promoting extremism and hate speech. Although YouTube removed some flagged videos, others remain on the platform. YouTube stated that it is actively working to improve its content moderation systems and that it has removed content violating its policies. However, critics argue that the platform’s algorithm still allows harmful content to thrive, especially among younger users.