US EditionYouTube Says It Will Be Less Safe for Kids Under Australia's Social Media Ban
YouTube will automatically sign out under-16 users in Australia from Dec 10, compromising account protections as part of the new social media age restriction law.
- YouTube, owned by Google, agreed to sign out under-16s and archive their accounts from December 10, 2025, allowing children to watch videos without accounts.
- The Australian government says the law responds to mounting evidence of platform harms to children, after consultations begun in 2023 and Royal Assent on December 10, 2024, with enforcement delayed up to 12 months.
- The government has listed 10 major platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, X, Snapchat, Twitch, Kick, Reddit and YouTube, and companies face fines up to $49.5 million for noncompliance.
- The Digital Freedom Project has challenged the law in Australia's High Court, arguing it attacks young Australians' free speech, while alternative apps Lemon8 and Yope surge amid eSafety Commission scrutiny.
- Other jurisdictions are watching Australia as an independent panel of 12 academics evaluates the ban, while Minister Anika Wells warns enforcement will take time given almost 86 per cent of Australian children aged eight to 15 are on social media.
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YouTube this morning criticized Australia's impending ban on social media for those under 16, calling it ill-advised. The government called the policy a safeguard to protect children from "predatory" algorithms. From December 10, Australia will require a number of major social media platforms and websites, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, to remove accounts of minors or have...
The countdown begins to Australia’s under-16s social media ban
Two new social media apps have been put on notice by the e-safety commissioner, a week out from the implementation of the under 16s social media ban. As the government sells the policy, families are getting their heads around the impact of these changes. This story produced in collaboration with SBS Arabic.
Google said on Wednesday it would comply with a law coming into effect in Australia that would ban people under 16 from using social media, but warned that the restrictions would make its video platform YouTube less safe for children.
‘It Won’t Make Kids Safer’: YouTube Warns Against Australia’s New Under-16 Social Media Rules
Online video platform YouTube has announced a raft of changes set to take hold as it prepares to comply with the Australian government’s new Social Media Minimum Age Act. From Dec. 10, age-restricted social media platforms will be required to prevent under-16s from registering accounts. The eSafety Commissioner has identified Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X, YouTube, Kick, and Reddit as platforms that pose potential dan…
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