It’s not entirely surprising the Australian government is now including YouTube accounts in its under-16s social media ban – but the decision to stop a 15-year-old from subscribing to their favourite channels only adds to an endless list of problems with the policy.
This ban already had a number of broad issues, including the possibility of every Australian being required to hand over personal identification in order to use social media websites. We’ve already seen the UK’s Online Safety Act making global headlines over the past week, where it is proving to be a nightmare for enforcement.
Let’s be clear: the harmful content the federal government keeps referencing isn’t going anywhere. This content (excluding videos already restricted to those over 18) can still be viewed by anyone in a logged-out state or by teenagers using the account of their parents. Once you turn 16, there is nothing stopping you from accessing the content, and it could just as easily lead to a negative impact.
What this ban does do, however, is effectively punish teenagers, even those who have always had overwhelmingly positive experiences from YouTube. Parents who are more than happy for their teenager to use YouTube with an account are not given any exemptions, despite the government’s repeated line that the social media ban gives power back to the parents.
The reason for YouTube’s initial exemption was education, something I can personally attest to as a current year 12 student. After remote learning ended, YouTube continued to be used as a key tool for learning, both during and outside of school hours. This includes simple things such as a homework task involving taking down notes from a video, to a teacher uploading their own set of videos for a particular subject unit for student viewing anytime and anywhere. There have even been more than a few instances of teachers recommending subscribing to an educational channel, which I know has been a help to me and many of my peers.
That’s not to say YouTube isn’t also a source of harmful content. But while there’s no perfect solution for keeping young people safe online, there are clear steps that could and should be taken by the federal and state governments. And it starts in the classroom.
From the late stages of primary school into secondary school, repeated lessons on ways to report content and dangers to look out for (among many other things to teach) would be a welcome addition. Crucially, this prevents the entire burden being on parents, many of whom are not tech-savvy by their own admissions.
Simply saying “don’t do this” has never worked for any generation of teenagers, and it doesn’t work for keeping them offline in this day and age. The more parents – or for that matter, governments – try to force a restriction on social media use, the more young people will be motivated to get around it.
Additionally, measures to actually target the platforms, rather than the teens who use them, would make a lot more sense. Exactly what those measures would be is a further question, but we already know the government has plenty of tools at its disposal, such as the eSafety commissioner, if it’s looking for a direct fight with tech giants.
With a high court challenge from Google seemingly looming, it’s worth remembering that – like it or not – Australia is far from the largest market for social media companies. This means it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that these platforms could abandon Australia altogether rather than follow this legislation, just as Facebook did with news for a short period in 2021. I’m personally not convinced that will end up happening, but it also doesn’t require that much imagination.
Banning teens from accessing YouTube through their own account isn’t going to stop harmful content in the slightest. Genuine problems need genuine solutions, but the social media ban isn’t one of those.
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Leo Puglisi is chief anchor and managing director at 6 News Australia
