YouTube should be included in a looming social media ban for children, the eSafety commissioner has warned, despite the platform being carved out of the world-first laws.

In a speech to the national Press Club on Tuesday, online safety head Julie Inman Grant will say seven in 10 children between 10 and 15-years-old have encountered harmful content on the internet such as hateful material, violent videos and promotion of eating disorders.

Inman Grant will say research from the eSafety Commission found YouTube was the most cited platform where children had exposure to harmful content, with almost 40 per cent saying they saw dangerous material there.

YouTube will be exempted from a world-first ban on social media for children under 16 when it comes into effect from December, while sites such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok will be off limits.

The eSafety commissioner said the social media laws needed to be consistent.

“It’s almost ubiquitous that kids are on social media. By far, the most prevalent social media site they’re on is YouTube,” she told ABC Radio on Tuesday ahead of the address.

“When we asked where they were experiencing harm and the kinds of harms they were experiencing, the most prevalent place where young Australians experienced harm was on YouTube.”

Inman Grant said she was surprised the video-sharing site was not included in the federal government ban, but indicated her role was to enforce the legislation.

She said it was critical the social media ban be able to work effectively.

“We can have a lot of success with this world-leading law. The rest of the world is going to be watching. There’s a lot at stake,” she said.

“This is all about placing the onus back on the platforms, where it should be, and making sure that they’re are not allowing under-16s from having an account.

“The time has come for them to take more responsibility and this is what the legislation will encourage them to do.”

Under the ban, social media platforms would be fined up to $50 million if the measures are not enforced.

The eSafety commissioner will also use the speech to the National Press Club to warn about AI chatbots being used by young people online.

Inman Grant said children as young as 10 were being “captivated” by the AI chatbots, with many of the online tools also being sexualised.

“Schools reported to us these children had been directed by their AI companions to engage in explicit and harmful sexual acts,” she will say in the speech.

“Just as AI has brought us so much promise, it has also created much peril. And these harms aren’t just hypothetical, they are taking hold right now.”

Source: AAP