Overview

• Australia announced that YouTube must verify users are at least 16 years old under its landmark youth social media ban, reversing an earlier exemption.
• Platforms that do not enforce the age restriction face penalties of up to A$49.5 million per breach under legislation passed in November.
• The Australian Internet Regulator reported that 37% of children aged 10 to 15 encountered harmful content on YouTube, the highest rate among major online services.
• Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok had lobbied against allowing YouTube to remain exempt from the under-16 prohibition.
• YouTube said it will review the government’s decision and continue collaborating with authorities while stressing it is a video-sharing platform rather than a social network.