No special treatment for Youtube in under-16s ban: eSafety Commissioner

Youtube should be treated the same as other social media platforms when it comes to the proposed social media ban for under 16s, according to new advice from the eSafety Commissioner.

The eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, was tasked with providing advice to Communications Minister Anika Wells in order to help finalise the Online Safety (Age Restricted Social Media Platforms) Rules 2025, which is currently in draft form.

Both the eSafety Commissioner and the Minister support the Rules being finalised by mid-year, so they can begin educating the public about which platforms will be covered, and start working with the platforms to ensure they are prepared to comply.