Tech giants such as Meta - owner of Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok - have called on the Australian government to reconsider its decision to exempt Alphabet's YouTube from laws banning social media for children under 16.
The landmark legislation, which would impose some of the world's strictest restrictions on social media, was passed by the Australian Parliament in November 2024. The law would force the world's largest "Big Tech" companies to block minors from logging in or face fines of up to $31 million.
Major tech companies are calling on Australia to reconsider its decision to exempt Alphabet's YouTube from laws banning social media for children under 16.
YouTube is expected to be exempt from the ban, which takes effect later this year, because it is considered an important educational tool and is the only service allowed for use by children on family accounts with parental supervision.
However, Meta argues that children using YouTube accounts still experience the features the government cited to justify the ban, including algorithmic content recommendations, social engagement features, and exposure to harmful content.
“The exemption for YouTube goes against the rationale given for this law and we call on the government to ensure the law is applied equally to all social media services,” Meta wrote in a blog post.
TikTok fears that exempting YouTube from the minimum age rule would result in an “unreasonable, anti-competitive and shortsighted” law. In a submission to the government, TikTok called for consistency across all social media platforms.
Snapchat, meanwhile, argues that no company should get special treatment. “There must be a fair and unbiased application of the exemptions, and all services should be judged by the same standards,” Snap Inc. wrote in its filing last Friday.
Several mental health and extremism experts told Reuters that YouTube exposes children to addictive and harmful content, as it hosts the same type of dangerous content as other sites.
In public statements, YouTube said its moderation efforts are becoming more aggressive, while expanding its definition of harmful content detected by automated systems.
Australia’s ban threatens to deprive social media platforms of a key user base — millions of young people coveted by advertisers. In a rare moment of solidarity, TikTok, Meta and Snap are hoping they’re not alone in the land of kangaroos.
Research released last month by Australia's digital regulator, the eSafety Commissioner, found that around 80% of Australian children aged eight to 12 would have used at least one social media platform by 2024. YouTube is the most popular platform and would lose more than any of the other three apps if included in the ban.
According to eSafety Commissioner statistics, among Australian children aged 8 to 12, 68% watched YouTube in the last year, 31% used TikTok and 19% used Snapchat.
(Source Reuters)
Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/cac-ong-lon-cong-nghe-doi-cong-bang-khi-australia-uu-ai-youtube-19225030421402268.htm
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