Australia Bans YouTube Accounts For Children Under 16

The Australian government has announced that YouTube will be among the social media platforms required to ensure account holders are at least 16 years old starting in December, reversing a previous exemption for the video-sharing platform. Rod McGuirk reported for the Associated Press (AP).

The new age restrictions take effect on December 10.

YouTube had initially been exempted when Parliament passed world-first legislation last November to ban children under 16 from using platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and X.

This week, Communications Minister Anika Wells released updated rules defining which online services are “age-restricted social media platforms” and which are not.

The new age restrictions take effect on December 10. Platforms could face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (US$33 million) for “failing to take responsible steps” to exclude underage users, according to a government statement.

The required steps were not clearly defined.

Wells defended the inclusion of YouTube and said the government would not be intimidated by potential legal threats from Alphabet Inc., the platform’s US-based owner.

“The evidence cannot be ignored that four out of 10 Australian kids report their most recent harm was on YouTube,” Wells told reporters. “We will not be intimidated by legal threats when this is a genuine fight for the well-being of Australian kids.”