Why this law won’t keep teens safer online
At YouTube, we believe in protecting kids in the digital world, not from the digital world. That’s why we’ve invested for more than a decade in consultation with child development experts to build age-appropriate products for our youngest users, like YouTube Kids, supervised experiences for teens and tweens, default wellbeing settings for all teens and robust parental controls. As the Social Media Minimum Age Act requires kids to use YouTube without an account, it removes the very parental controls and safety filters built to protect them—it will not make kids safer on our platform. These are the unfortunate consequences of a rushed legislative process that failed to allow for adequate consultation and consideration of the real complexities of online safety regulation.
The law also fundamentally misunderstands why teens come to YouTube in the first place. YouTube is a video streaming service where they come to watch and learn– everything from ‘how to tie a tie’ videos, to famous speeches, to newsmaking podcasts, to live concerts, to epic sports highlights. And increasingly, kids, teens and families are watching YouTube on television screens in their living room.
We are committed to finding a better path forward to keep kids safe online. We believe a more effective approach is one that empowers parents, rather than stripping away their choices, and allows kids to continue to derive the immense benefits of digital environments while protecting them from harm. Even as the ban comes into effect next week, we will continue to work with the Australian Government to advocate for effective, evidence-based regulation that actually protects kids and teens, respects parental choice, and avoids unintended consequences.
