Google turning up the heat in fight to keep kids on Youtube
Google has shifted gears with only four months until all children under 16 may be blocked from their Youtube accounts, threatening the government with legal action, launching an ad campaign and preparing to host an event in Canberra’s Parliament House.
At issue is whether Youtube will be exempt from the amendments to the Online Safety Act that ban children under 16 from having social media accounts. That is due to come into effect in December, and will catch up Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Snapchat, Reddit and every other digital platform that meets the criteria and does not have an exemption.
(Midjourney)
Given the structure of the legislation and following advice from the eSafety Commissioner it is now widely expected that Youtube will not be exempted.
Google (which owns Youtube) launched an ad campaign last week saying the video platform was “where teens come to learn”.
The search giant then sent a letter to Communications Minister Anika Wells warning the government it was considering legal action. The letter was first reported in The Sunday Telegraph, and contained three legal objections:
- The ban unconstitutionally restricts freedom of political expression
- The ban misclassifies Youtube as a social media platform when it is a video platform
- Not exempting Youtube could be an inappropriate use of ministerial power
The last argument rests on the fact that previous minister Michelle Rowland gave private and public assurances during the development of the legislation last year that Youtube would be exempt.
Labor minister for social services Tanya Plibersek today responded to the legal threat defiantly: “We’re not going to be bullied out of taking action by any social media giant.”
The promised Youtube exemption has infuriated Youtube’s competitors, particularly Meta and Tiktok, because Youtube contains elements that are functionally identical to their products. For example, Youtube Shorts are the equivalent of Tiktok’s videos.
The campaign pushing Youtube as educational has appeared in print and outdoor advertising (click to expand)
In June, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant weighed into the debate, stating that no particular platform should be exempted. The legislation states that “the Minister must seek advice from the Commissioner, and must have regard to that advice”.
In an address to the Press Club in Canberra, Inman Grant spelled out her position that because harms were widespread and well-documented, there was no justification for exempting Youtube.
“This wasn’t just about Youtube. Youtube was the only one exempted. Our recommendation was that no specific platform be exempted because, as I said, their relative risks and harms can change at any given moment,” she said.
Google will have another opportunity to push its case for exemption with a Youtube Creator Day event scheduled for the Great Hall at Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday.
Have your say