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Title: Australia Regulator and YouTube Spar Over Under-16s Social Media Ban

Link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/06/25/0146...

Australia's eSafety Commissioner has urged the government to deny YouTube an
exemption from upcoming child safety regulations, citing research showing it
exposes more children to harmful content than any other platform. YouTube
pushed back, calling the commissioner's stance inconsistent with government
data and parental feedback. "The quarrel adds an element of uncertainty to
the December rollout of a law being watched by governments and tech leaders
around the world as Australia seeks to become the first country to fine
social media firms if they fail to block users aged under 16," reports
Reuters. From the report: The centre-left Labor government of Anthony
Albanese has previously said it would give YouTube a waiver, citing the
platform's use for education and health. Other social media companies such as
Meta's Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok have argued such an
exemption would be unfair. eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said she
wrote to the government last week to say there should be no exemptions when
the law takes effect. She added that the regulator's research found 37% of
children aged 10 to 15 reported seeing harmful content on YouTube -- the most
of any social media site. [...] YouTube, in a blog post, accused Inman Grant
of giving inconsistent and contradictory advice, which discounted the
government's own research which found 69% of parents considered the video
platform suitable for people under 15. "The eSafety commissioner chose to
ignore this data, the decision of the Australian Government and other clear
evidence from teachers and parents that YouTube is suitable for younger
users," wrote Rachel Lord, YouTube's public policy manager for Australia and
New Zealand. Inman Grant, asked about surveys supporting a YouTube exemption,
said she was more concerned "about the safety of children and that's always
going to surpass any concerns I have about politics or being liked or
bringing the public onside". A spokesperson for Communications Minister Anika
Wells said the minister was considering the online regulator's advice and her
"top priority is making sure the draft rules fulfil the objective of the Act
and protect children from the harms of social media."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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