‘Closed door consultation’ over Youtube age exemption drives Meta, Tiktok wild

Attacks on Youtube’s suitability as a child-safe platform from Meta, Snap, and Tiktok were prompted by specific questioning in a secret government discussion paper.

Last November, the federal government passed the Online Safety Act, which will ban children under 16 from accessing a number of social media platforms from December this year. Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok are among those facing the restrictions.

Youtube’s possible designation as an educational tool meant it was unclear whether it would fall under the ban. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland initially lumped the video platform in among those banned, but later suggested it could be granted an exemption.