An Australian father who lost his daughter to suicide is fronting a bold push to ban children under 16 from accessing social media, including YouTube, in what’s being called a world-first crackdown.
Rob Evans appeared in Parliament this week carrying the ashes of his daughter, Liv. He said she started by watching innocent cooking videos, but was soon exposed to harmful content through platform algorithms that "don’t have the same consequences a parent does".
His story helped galvanise support behind the federal government’s proposed ban, which would stop under-16s from creating accounts on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and now, YouTube.
The plan wouldn’t block access entirely. Kids could still watch content – including through YouTube Kids – but wouldn’t be able to create a profile, meaning no personalisation, subscriptions or algorithm-driven recommendations.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the move is about getting kids “off their devices and onto the playing fields".
But not everyone’s convinced.
In New Zealand, social media commentator Vaughn Davis says a ban like this wouldn’t gain traction and wouldn’t work even if it did.
"Social media ban legislation in general is popular law making, and it's the sort of thing that will get votes. So it makes sense politically. I think like any other ban, especially on young people, especially on teenagers, it's unlikely to have much effect," Davis said.
"If this this was 1975 it would be like banning children from going to libraries, because somewhere in the back there might be some dirty books. And for the teenager of 2025, YouTube is that library. "
He argues the inclusion of YouTube — a platform often used for tutorials and learning — was misguided.
"If you're a school kid, especially, an awful lot of learning happens on YouTube. So I think the downsides of a band would outweigh the upsides," he said.
YouTube publicly rejected its classification as “social media”, insisting it’s a video streaming service, not a platform for messaging or social interaction.
But critics said the label didn't matter. What mattered was how the platform collected data, recommended content and kept young users engaged.
“That prevents YouTube and Google from profiling that child and creating an understanding of that child and recommending them content,” Australia-based tech expert Trevor Long said.
Earlier this year, YouTube sent The Wiggles to Parliament to lobby the government, prompting a round of jokes from the Prime Minister, who insisted his government was "pro-Wiggle".
The new restrictions are scheduled to take effect in Australia from December 10.
But across the Tasman, Davis says New Zealand should take a very different approach, focusing on education and digital literacy rather than outright bans.
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