About a month before Christmas last year, children and teenagers under the age of 16 in Australia were “overjoyed” to learn that their government had decided to ban them from Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and other social media platforms. But why isn’t the same true for YouTube, the most popular platform among underage viewers?
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Companies that don't enforce strict age restrictions could face significant fines. However, YouTube, which is owned by Alphabet, will remain accessible to all ages. The government sees it as an educational tool , not a mainstream social media platform.
So, YouTube has been given an exemption. But is that a good thing? Reuters reports that some believe that this decision exposes underage users to addictive and harmful content on YouTube.
The ban was initially intended to include YouTube. However, after discussions with company executives and content creators, the government decided to allow continued access. A spokeswoman for the communications minister, Michelle Rowland, said YouTube is used for education and information by children, parents and schools.
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The Reuters report, on the other hand, cites six experts who argue that blocking YouTube weakens the purpose of the law to protect minors from harmful content. Studies show that YouTube is the most widely used social networking site among Australian teenagers, with 90% of those aged 12-17 using it.
These researchers believe that YouTube hosts the same kind of dangerous content as banned platforms. Lise Waldek, a lecturer at Macquarie University, noted that YouTube plays a role in the spread of extremist, violent and inappropriate content. She also pointed out that its algorithm offers highly addictive videos to young users.
Although experts agree that all social media struggle with harmful content, they question why YouTube, the most popular platform, was exempted.
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A YouTube spokesperson responded that the platform promotes quality content that encourages respect and limits recommendations for potentially harmful material. The company also said it has strengthened its moderation policies and improved its automated detection systems.
Source: phonearena
