Canberra, March 5 Three social media platforms -- TikTok, Meta, and Snapchat have criticised proposed regulations that would exclude YouTube from Australia's upcoming social media ban for teenagers.
The three technology companies made submissions to a government consultation on the ban, which prohibits Australian children and teenagers under the age of 16 from using social media from the end of 2025, under the world-first law passed in November last year to protect their mental health and wellbeing.
The Australian government is facing allegations of striking a special deal to exclude YouTube from the ban, as its rivals launch a unified public campaign to oppose the decision, calling the proposal unfair and inconsistent, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Wednesday.
The final rules, including any exemptions, will be determined through the private consultation process before the law takes effect in December.
The government justifies YouTube's exemption by highlighting its role as a valuable educational resource for students, educators, and parents. However, Meta, which owns Instagram, contends that YouTube includes the same features the government has labeled as harmful to children, such as algorithm-driven content recommendations, continuous autoplay, and constant notifications.
Meta criticised the idea of exempting YouTube, saying it undermines the government's stated goal of protecting young people, Xinhua news agency reported.
"We call on the government to ensure equal application of the law across all social media services," the ABC quoted a Meta spokesperson as saying.
Snapchat described in its submission YouTube's exemption as a case of "preferential treatment."
According to a survey released last month by the eSafety Commissioner, 73 per cent of Australians aged 13 to 15 use YouTube, which continues to be the most widely used platform among teenagers.
Under the new law, social media companies could be fined up to 50 million Australian dollars (about 31.43 million US dollars) for failing to take "reasonable steps" to keep children under 16 off their platforms.
There are no penalties for young people or parents who flout the rules. Social media companies also won't be able to force users to provide government identification, including the Digital ID, to assess their age.
"Messaging apps," "online gaming services" and "services with the primary purpose of supporting the health and education of end-users" will not fall under the ban, according to the legislation.
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