Labor Communications Minister Anika Wells has refused to release the research that underpins the eSafety Commissioner’s push to ban 15-year-olds from using YouTube.

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The contentious recommendation, made by eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, has sparked widespread concern among stakeholders and the public. Yet Wells has declined to release the data informing the advice, citing the regulator’s preference to delay publication.

Sky News reports that the eSafety regulator has repeatedly blocked its attempts to access the full research, instead opting to “drip feed” select findings to the public over several months. This is despite the Albanese government expected to make a final decision in just weeks.

A spokesperson for Wells said: “The minister is taking time to consider the eSafety Commissioner’s advice. The minister has been fully briefed by the eSafety Commissioner including the research methodology behind her advice.”

However, the Commissioner’s own “Keeping Kids Safe Online: Methodology” report reveals several weaknesses in the data. The survey relied entirely on self-reported responses taken at one point in time and used “non-probability-based sampling” from online panels, described in the report as “convenience samples”.

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As the report explains: “Participants may answer survey items in a manner they think is socially desirable or acceptable, as opposed to providing a true reflection of their attitudes or experiences.”

It also notes that around 20 per cent of children had parental help in completing the survey, increasing the risk of skewed or filtered responses.

Despite these issues, Wells is reportedly considering whether to reverse the government’s earlier decision to exempt YouTube from the incoming social media ban for under-16s.

That exemption was granted by former communications minister Michelle Rowland and supported by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. But Inman Grant has since called the decision back into review — without making the research behind it public.

A final decision is expected within weeks, with the broader social media ban to take effect from December 2025.