A looming ban on under-16s using social media will not keep young people safe online, one tech giant has warned.
YouTube representatives told a Senate inquiry that moves to include the video-sharing platform in the world-leading legislation would deny access to services on the site that were aimed at protecting children.
The platform’s Australian senior manager Rachel Lord said the ban, set to come into effect in December, was not the solution for online safety.
“The government’s plan to ban social media use for under-16s may be well intentioned, but in practice it risks unintended consequences,” she told the inquiry on Monday.
“The legislation will not only be extremely difficult to enforce, it also does not fulfil its promise of making kids safer online.”
YouTube was initially granted an exemption from the ban but was added to the platform following advice from the eSafety Commissioner.
Young people will still be able to watch videos on the site but will not be able to create their own accounts and upload content.
Ms Lord said not having an account meant young people would not have access to security and safety features targeted at under-16s.
“The solution to keeping kids safer online is not stopping them from being online,” she said.
“It’s about making sure platforms have relevant guardrails in place.
“This law fundamentally misunderstands what YouTube is. It is a video-streaming platform that Australians can use as a content library and a learning resource. It is not social media.”
Representatives from Google and Microsoft also appeared before the inquiry. Requests were also sent to Meta, Snapchat and TikTok, but the invitations were declined.
The inquiry’s chair, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, said the committee would consider issuing subpoenas to the tech giants to force them to appear.
Under the ban, under-16s will be prevented from using social media platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram from December 10.
Social media companies will be required to take reasonable steps to stop children under 16 holding accounts or risk large fines.
Communications Minister Anika Wells and eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant are due to meet with executives from Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, and other platforms about the ban.
The talks, which will be held virtually as most of the executives involved are based in the United States, will allow the government to outline its expectations of the platforms before the minimum age limit kicks in.
Labor argues the policy will help shield young Australians from harmful online content until they’re old enough to better understand it.
“There’s a place for social media, but there’s not a place for predatory algorithms damaging children,” Ms Wells said.
But the lead-up to the ban has been marred by confusion about which platforms will be covered.
The government is preparing to roll out an advertising campaign to outline the details of the ban for parents and children.
Labor has made the social media age restrictions a defining issue and has been lobbying other countries to follow suit.
Ms Wells travelled to New York in September alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to discuss the ban with world leaders.
The European Union is now considering similar laws barring children from social media.
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