A ban on under-16s using social media could prevent budding artists forging lucrative careers, YouTube warns, with Australian creators on the platform contributing millions of dollars to the economy.

Representatives of the video-sharing website told a Senate inquiry that moves to include the platform in world-leading legislation would deny creators full-time jobs, citing mega popstar Troye Sivan as one of the site's success stories.

He started his career posting vlogs and performing covers on YouTube, the platform's senior manager Rachel Lord said on Monday.

"YouTube's creator ecosystem contributed $970 million for Australian GDP and supported over 16,000 full-time jobs in 2024," Ms Lord said.

"You don't need to look hard to find examples of Australian success stories who started their

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