Google threatens legal action if YouTube included in Australia's social media ban for children

CANBERRA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Google has threatened to take legal action against any move by the Australian government to include YouTube in its world-first social ban for children younger than 16.

In a letter to Minister for Communications Anika Wells, executives from Google and YouTube's Australian office said the technology giant is "considering its legal options" if the federal government reneges on its previous decision to exempt YouTube from the social media ban.

The letter, which was published by News Corp Australia newspapers, argues that YouTube is a video streaming platform rather than a social media platform and flags a legal challenge against its inclusion in the ban on constitutional grounds.

Under the ban, which will take effect in December, platforms including Meta, TikTok and Snapchat will be required to take "reasonable steps" to prevent children younger than 16 from creating or accessing accounts.

The federal government initially decided not to include YouTube in the ban due to its education and health content, but Australia's top online safety adviser, the eSafety Commissioner, in June said that no platform should be exempt.

Asked on Monday about Google's threat of legal action, Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said that the government would not be "bullied" by technology companies.

"We will do whatever we have to make sure Australian kids are kept safe," she told Seven Network television.

"We're not going to be bullied out of taking action by any social media giant."

Representatives from Meta, TikTok and Snapchat in March made submissions to the federal government criticizing the decision to exempt YouTube from the ban.

Companies that fail to prevent under-16s from accessing their social media platforms after the ban takes effect will face fines worth up to 50 million Australian dollars (32.8 million U.S. dollars).■