Australia's internet safety regulator has criticised YouTube and Apple for failing to track or respond adequately to reports of child sexual abuse material on their platforms.
The eSafety Commissioner’s report, released on Wednesday, found serious safety deficiencies across major online platforms, including YouTube and Apple. The platforms were said to lack basic systems to monitor user reports of child abuse content and had not provided information on how quickly such reports were addressed.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said that “when left to their own devices, these companies aren’t prioritising the protection of children and are seemingly turning a blind eye to crimes occurring on their services”.
She added, “No other consumer-facing industry would be given the licence to operate by enabling such heinous crimes against children on their premises, or services.”
The report revealed that neither YouTube nor Apple could say how many user complaints they had received about child sexual abuse material, nor how many trust and safety staff they employed.
Following eSafety’s advice, the Australian government decided last week to include YouTube in its upcoming social media ban for teenagers, reversing its earlier decision to exempt the platform.
While Google has said that it uses artificial intelligence and hash-matching technology to identify and remove abuse material, the eSafety report found that many platforms are not applying these tools comprehensively across all services. Hash-matching is an established method of detecting known child abuse content by comparing image fingerprints to a central database.
Other platforms, including Meta, Discord, Microsoft, Skype, Snap and WhatsApp, were also required to disclose their safety protocols. The report found that most had significant gaps, such as a failure to block links to known child abuse material or prevent livestreaming of exploitation.
“In the case of Apple services and Google’s YouTube, they didn’t even answer our questions,” Inman Grant said, referring to basic inquiries about user reporting volumes and staffing for safety teams.
Google has previously stated that abusive material has “no place” on its platforms and highlighted its use of industry-standard detection tools. Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, said it bans graphic videos and aims to swiftly remove harmful content.
The eSafety Commissioner, which was established to hold tech companies accountable for user safety, said some platforms had failed to improve despite repeated warnings in previous years.
The United States has seized a sixth Venezuela-linked tanker in the Caribbean, hours before President Donald Trump’s meeting with Venezuelan opposit...
Save the Children has pledged to expand maternal and child health services across Afghanistan after its new country director met the country’s publi...
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that the international situation is worsening and that the world is becoming more dangerous, while avoidin...
Kazakhstan’s economy is set to slow in the coming years as external conditions deteriorate and geopolitical risks intensify, according to the latest...
Military power is again shaping international politics as rivalry intensifies and security assumptions erode, pushing states to place renewed emphasis...
Thousands of firefighters worked tirelessly on Saturday in Victoria, Australia, to combat bushfires that have destroyed homes, left tens of thousands without power, and scorched large areas of bushland.
The year 2025 marked a global first in social media regulation, as Australia enacted the world’s first blanket ban on social media usage for children under 16 years old.
Australia’s most populous state has passed sweeping new gun control and anti-terror laws following a mass shooting at Bondi Beach, tightening firearm ownership rules, banning the public display of terrorist symbols and expanding police powers to restrict protests.
Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments to China have surged by 1.6 million tonnes in November marking a 143% increase from the same period last year.
The Trump administration will suspend all visa processing for visitors from 75 countries beginning 21 January 2026, according to a State Department memo reported by media.
Saudi Arabia has informed Iran that it will not allow its territory or airspace to be used for any military action against Tehran, according to two sources close to the kingdom’s government cited by AFP.
Sweden is sending a group of military officers to Greenland at Denmark’s request, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Wednesday, as Nordic countries and NATO allies step up coordination around the Arctic territory.
Romania has reiterated its openness to discussions on a potential unification with neighbouring Republic of Moldova, following recent remarks by Moldova’s president.
Boeing booked more aircraft orders than Airbus in 2025 for the first time since 2018, official figures showed, even as the European manufacturer delivered more planes during the year.
The United States has seized a sixth Venezuela-linked tanker in the Caribbean, hours before President Donald Trump’s meeting with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, U.S. officials told Reuters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that the international situation is worsening and that the world is becoming more dangerous, while avoiding public comment on several major global developments, including events in Venezuela and Iran.
Military power is again shaping international politics as rivalry intensifies and security assumptions erode, pushing states to place renewed emphasis on readiness, deterrence and visible capability.
The number of Chinese students at Harvard University has risen despite tighter U.S. visa controls and heightened scrutiny under the Trump-led administration.
Poland will not send troops to Greenland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday, warning that any military action by one NATO member against the territory of another would fundamentally undermine the alliance and global security.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment