Emails between a government minister and a senior executive at Google’s YouTube reveal how the video platform became exempted from Australia’s under-16s social media ban.
The conversation in November last year, reported by Guardian Australia via documents gathered under freedom of information laws, shows YouTube invoking the children’s entertainment group the Wiggles.
Swinburne media expert Belinda Barnet said this shows politics working in favour of powerful people and entities.
“It’s not unlike the ‘tense’ phone calls between Mark Zuckerberg and Josh Frydenberg 48 hours before the news media bargaining code passed parliament, ultimately resulting in a favourable outcome for Facebook (no designation),” Barnet said. “Usually, we are not aware of this lobbying but in this case an FOI has revealed it.”
Social media giant Meta at the time of YouTube’s exemption, under the Online Safety Amendment Act, expressed concern at the government's rapid, closed-door consultation process.
“The government has proposed that YouTube be exempt from the law, despite its own research showing YouTube is the most popular social media service for under 16 year olds in Australia,” said a Meta spokesperson.
“A young person with a YouTube account experiences the very features cited by the government to justify the law, including algorithmic content recommendations, autoplay, social interaction features, and persistent notifications, as well as access to harmful content.
“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.”
The Guardian’s documents reveal YouTube CEO Neal Mohan emailed communications minister Michelle Rowland two days before the exemption was announced.
He argued YouTube was “fundamentally different” to social platforms.
And Mohan said he was thrilled to hear about the minister’s meetings with YouTube creators, The Wiggles and Black As.
“They exemplify the incredible breadth and diversity of talent on YouTube and create high-quality content for audiences of all ages around the world,” he said.
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