Rowland’s pledge to Mohan preceded her own draft rules excluding YouTube from the social-media age restrictions. And her message predates a February 2025 discussion paper issued by her department specifically seeking feedback on the proposed exemption for YouTube. — Pixabay
Australian Communications Minister Michelle Rowland gave a personal guarantee to the global head of YouTube that the platform would be exempt from the country’s social-media ban for under-16s, even before an official consultation process on the special carveout, according to documents obtained under freedom-of-information laws.
YouTube’s exclusion from the looming Australian restrictions has angered rivals including Meta Platforms Inc and Snapchat-operator Snap Inc. Last month, TikTok described the exemption of Alphabet Inc-owned YouTube as a "sweetheart deal” that was "illogical, anti-competitive and short sighted”.
The new Australian legislation, which is due to take effect by the end of the year, is among the strictest crackdowns on digital platforms anywhere in the world. YouTube has avoided the regulation even though Australian government data show it’s overwhelmingly the most popular online platform among local kids.
In a Dec 9 letter to YouTube chief executive officer Neal Mohan in California, Rowland said she was writing to "reaffirm the commitment” that the government – if re-elected this year – would exclude YouTube from the new law. The letter was written days after the bill passed parliament. Australia’s general election will be held May 3.
Rowland’s pledge to Mohan preceded her own draft rules excluding YouTube from the social-media age restrictions. And her message predates a February 2025 discussion paper issued by her department specifically seeking feedback on the proposed exemption for YouTube.
Rowland’s letter also shows she planned to meet Mohan and other YouTube executives on Dec 13. She hoped the meeting could cover certain safety features being considered by YouTube, as well as "engagement” on YouTube Shorts, according to the letter. It’s not clear from the freedom-of-information documents if the meeting went ahead.
A spokesman for Rowland said the Dec 9 letter to the YouTube CEO was a reply to an earlier letter, adding he was unable to immediately elaborate on the content. A spokesperson for Google, the Alphabet unit that runs YouTube, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The new Australian law was passed by parliament in November. Almost all of the largest social-media companies including TikTok, X and Meta expressed concerns about the law in submissions to a truncated Senate inquiry before the bill passed.
ByteDance Ltd’s TikTok has argued that YouTube’s short-form videos are "virtually indistinguishable” from its own. Excluding YouTube from Australia’s age-limit rules, according to TikTok, "would be akin to banning the sale of soft drinks to minors but exempting Coca-Cola.”
Platforms will be responsible for enforcing the age limit, with penalties of as much as A$50mil (RM140.25mil or US$32mil) for breaches, although it’s not clear what technology will be used to determine a user’s age. – Bloomberg
