Social Media Giants Question Australia’s Youth Ban After YouTube Exemption Pledge Revealed

Meta, TikTok, and Snap are raising concerns about the integrity of Australia’s upcoming social media ban for users under the age of 16, following the revelation that Communications Minister Michelle Rowland personally pledged to exempt YouTube from the restrictions before a formal consultation process even began, Bloomberg reports.

A letter, dated December 9 and addressed to YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, was obtained through freedom-of-information laws. In it, Rowland “reaffirm[ed] the commitment” of the Australian government to exclude YouTube from the ban. This assurance was made just days after the legislation passed Parliament, but weeks before Rowland’s department officially sought feedback on the proposed exemption.

The Australian government’s primary goal is to protect young people from the harmful effects of social media and online content. Platforms like Meta’s Instagram have been linked to negative impacts on mental health, while TikTok’s short-form video format is known for its addictive nature. While all the impacted content providers initially objected to the ban, they are now specifically questioning why Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube is being treated differently.

TikTok has called on Rowland to provide a clear explanation as to why she offered YouTube “a free pass, before any consultation, including with experts, had even begun.” According to TikTok, owned by ByteDance Ltd., the letter “raises serious questions about the integrity of the government’s plan.”

While it was clear in late November that YouTube would be excluded, Rowland’s direct communication with CEO Mohan has fueled frustration among YouTube’s competitors, who claim the platform is unduly escaping the new restrictions, despite being one of the most popular online platforms for Australian children. The letter also revealed that Rowland planned to meet with Mohan on December 13th, shortly after sending the letter.

Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, has urged Rowland to reconsider her position on YouTube’s exemption. A Snap spokesperson stated that “blanket assurances made to the CEO of YouTube that the company would be excluded raise some serious questions about the fairness of this process.”

Responding to the criticism, a spokesperson for Rowland stated that the decision to exempt YouTube was made in November “and there has been zero reconsideration or communication to suggest otherwise — despite misleading attempts by TikTok, Snapchat, and Facebook to imply that it was.”