Leading by example, the Australian government passed a new bill last year, banning social media for everyone under 16 years old. No wonder, this ban has directly affected some of the top social media apps, including Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. Now, the affected social media companies have criticized Australia for exempting YouTube from the under-16 social media ban.
TikTok, Meta, and Snapchat have criticized Australia for allowing kids to use YouTube
For the uninitiated, Australia initially had the plan to include YouTube as part of the social media ban. However, the passed law exempted it, as the Australian government deemed YouTube as an educational tool. The new law requires younger audiences to use YouTube as part of the family account that offers parental supervision rights.
Well, the fact that it’s still accessible to younger audiences has bothered the affected social media giants. In a submission to Australia’s Department of Communications, TikTok referred to YouTube’s exemption as a “sweetheart deal.” It further noted that YouTube’s exemption from Australia’s social media ban is “illogical, anti-competitive, and shortsighted.”
On the other hand, Snapchat also criticized favoritism in the submission. It noted that “there must be a fair and impartial application of exclusions and all services should be held to the same standard.” Meta also said similar things in its submission regarding YouTube’s exemption from Australia’s under-sixteen social media ban. It also highlighted the younger audiences’ exposure to harmful content on YouTube.
In a blog post spotted by Reuters, the social media giant noted, “YouTube’s exemption is at odds with the purported reasons for the law and we call on the government to ensure equal application of the law across all social media services.”
Time will tell if there’ll be any action
No doubt, the country’s latest move to curb the negative impact of social media on teens is commendable. However, workarounds like bypassing the age limit might pose a risk to the successful implementation of the new law. Furthermore, it’ll be interesting to see whether the complaints will lead Australia to lift YouTube’s exemption, eventually banning kids from using it.
