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3w ago

Australia Expands Under-16 Social Media Ban to Include YouTube

Regulators found one in three young teens exposed to harmful content on the video service, spurring a December deadline for platforms to verify users’ ages or face fines of up to AUD 50 million.

ARCHIVO - El logo de la app de YouTube, visto en un iPad, en Baltimore. (AP Foto/Patrick Semansky, archivo)
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Overview

  • Starting December 10, Australians under 16 can still access YouTube but will be prohibited from owning accounts.
  • Platforms must deploy age-verification measures that do not require passports or driving licences or risk fines of up to AUD 50 million.
  • A government inquiry found 37% of 10- to 15-year-olds encountered harmful content on YouTube, the highest rate among regulated services.
  • YouTube argues it is a video-sharing platform rather than a social network and is assessing its response to the new classification.
  • The legislation makes Australia the first country to enforce sweeping under-16 social media limits and is being monitored by regulators in Norway and the UK.