Victoria in Australia bans YouTube.com in schools

An Australian state Victoria has announced that they are now banning access to Google owned video sharing web service YouTube.com in schools.

This is a step taken in a crackdown on cyber-bullying. The ban is applicable on the 1600 schools operated by the government.

This has been done after a case which saw a gang of male school students videotaped their assault on a 17-year-old girl on the outskirts of Melbourne. This assault video was uploaded on the Google owned service.

Education Services Minister Jacinta Allan added that they are already filtering a list of web sites in schools and now YouTube.com would be added on that list.

Allan added: “All students have the right to learn in a safe and supportive learning environment — this includes making students’ experience of the virtual world of learning as safe and productive as possible.”