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2w ago

Australia Reverses YouTube Exemption in Under-16 Social Media Law

Regulator findings of high harm on YouTube prompted the policy change ahead of detailed enforcement rules due this year.

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FILE - The YouTube app is displayed on an iPad in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
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Overview

  • Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Communications Minister Anika Wells confirmed YouTube will join Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and X in the ban on under-16 accounts from December 10, 2025.
  • Social media platforms will face fines of up to A$49.5 million if they fail to take reasonable steps to prevent under-16 users from creating or activating accounts.
  • eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant’s research found that nearly 37 percent of surveyed children reported harmful content on YouTube, making it the most cited platform for online harm.
  • Google has maintained that YouTube is a video-sharing service rather than social media and has warned it will consider legal action against its inclusion.
  • Under the law, minors can still view videos when logged out and use YouTube Kids, and the government will issue age-verification guidelines in the coming months.