Australia announced on Wednesday that it will include YouTube in its landmark social media ban for teenagers, reversing a previous decision to exempt the Alphabet-owned platform and potentially paving the way for legal pushback.

The move follows a recommendation from the national internet regulator, which urged the government to reconsider the exemption after a survey revealed that 37% of minors encountered harmful content on YouTube — the highest among all social media platforms.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated, “I’m calling time on it,” emphasizing the negative impact of online platforms on Australian youth and urging social media companies to uphold their social responsibilities.

“I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs.”

The decision broadens the ban set to take effect in December.

YouTube says it is used by nearly three-quarters of Australians aged 13 to 15, and should not be classified as social media because its main activity is hosting videos.

“Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly viewed on TV screens. It’s not social media,” a YouTube spokesperson said by email.

Since the government said last year it would exempt YouTube due to its popularity with teachers, platforms covered by the ban, such as Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat SNAP.N and TikTok, have complained.

They say YouTube has key similarities to their products, including letting users interact and recommending content through an algorithm based on activity.

The ban outlaws YouTube accounts for those younger than 16, allowing parents and teachers to show videos on it to minors.

“Teachers are always curators of any resource for appropriateness (and) will be judicious,” said Angela Falkenberg, president of the Australian Primary Principals Association, which supports the ban.

Artificial intelligence has supercharged the spread of misinformation on social media platforms such as YouTube, said Adam Marre, chief information security officer at cybersecurity firm Arctic Wolf.

“The Australian government’s move to regulate YouTube is an important step in pushing back against the unchecked power of big tech and protecting kids,” he added in an email.

The reversal sets up a fresh dispute with Alphabet, which threatened to withdraw some Google services from Australia in 2021 to avoid a law forcing it to pay news outlets for content appearing in searches.

Last week, YouTube told Reuters it had written to the government urging it “to uphold the integrity of the legislative process”.

Australian media said YouTube threatened a court challenge, but YouTube did not confirm that.

“I will not be intimidated by legal threats when this is a genuine fight for the well-being of Australian kids,” Communications Minister Anika Wells told parliament on Wednesday.

The law passed in November only requires “reasonable steps” by social media platforms to keep out Australians younger than 16, or face a fine of up to A$49.5 million.

The government, which is due to receive a report this month on tests of age-checking products, has said those results will influence enforcement of the ban.

Australia has reversed a decision that omitted YouTube from its ban on social media platforms for teenagers. A youth social media law will come into effect starting in December.

Australia is banning YouTube for children under 16, widening the scope of a landmark social media law that aims to protect teenagers from harmful content online.

“Young people under the age of 16 will not be able to have accounts on YouTube,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Wednesday.

The Alphabet-owned video-sharing platform had been previously granted an exemption due its popularity with teachers.

Last year, Australia was the first country to propose a ban on social media for teenagers.

Sites covered by the ban, such as Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, have protested the proposed ban.

Why is Australia now banning YouTube?

Australia reversed its decision to spare YouTube from the banned list of social media sites for those under 16 after the country’s internet regulator highlighted a survey showing 37% of minors reported harmful content on the site.

“We want kids to know who they are before platforms assume who they are,” Communications Minister Anika Wells said in a statement.

“There’s a place for social media, but there’s not a place for predatory algorithms targeting children.” she added.

How has YouTube reacted?

A YouTube spokesperson said in a statement that YouTube is “not social media”.

“We share the government’s goal of addressing and reducing online harms. Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly viewed on TV screens. It’s not social media,” the statement said.

“The government’s announcement today reverses a clear, public commitment to exclude YouTube from this ban. We will consider next steps and will continue to engage with the government.”

Wednesday’s decision could also be the start of a fresh dispute with Alphabet, which threatened to pull back some Google services from Australia in 2021 in response to a law forcing it to pay news outlets for content appearing in searches.

How will Australia enforce its under-16s social media ban? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

What is Australia’s teen social media ban?

In November 2024, Albanese’s government introduced a bill to ban social media for children under 16.

The law is slated to come into effect on December 10, 2025.

Social media giants face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (€27 million) for failing to impose the restrictions.

“Social media have a social responsibility and there is no doubt that Australian kids are being negatively impacted by online platforms, so I’m calling time on it,” Albanese said on Wednesday.

“I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs.”

Edited by: Wesley Rahn

[Getty Images]

YouTube will be included in Australia’s world-first social media ban for children under 16, after the government ditched a previous exemption for the platform.

The video sharing site was set to be excluded from the ban – which will limit TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X and Snapchat and is due to start in December.

Under the ban, teenagers will still be able to view YouTube videos but will not be permitted to have an account, which is required for uploading content or interacting on the platform.

YouTube – owned by Google – had argued it shouldn’t be blocked for children as the platform “offers benefit and value to younger Australians”: “It’s not social media,” it said in statement on Wednesday.

Australia’s laws are being watched with great interest by global leaders, with Norway announcing a similar ban and the UK saying it is considering following suit.

“Social media is doing social harm to our children, and I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told media on Wednesday.

“We know that this is not the only solution,” he said of the ban, “but it will make a difference.”

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant last month recommended YouTube be added to the ban as it was “the most frequently cited platform” where children aged 10 to 15 years saw “harmful content”.

After Wednesday’s announcement, a spokesperson from YouTube said it will “consider next steps” and “continue to engage” with the government.

Last week, several Australian media outlets had reported that Google was threatening to sue the government if YouTube was included in the ban, arguing it would restrict political freedom.

Federal Communications Minister Anika Wells said that while there is a place for social media, “there’s not a place for predatory algorithms targeting children”.

She described trying to protect children from the harms of the internet as “like trying to teach your kids to swim in the open ocean with the rips and the sharks compared to at the local council pool”.

“We can’t control the ocean but we can police the sharks and that is why we will not be intimidated by legal threats when this is a genuine fight for the wellbeing of Australian kids,” she said.

Exclusions to the ban will include “online gaming, messaging, education and health apps” as they “pose fewer social media harms to under 16s”, Wells said.

Under the ban, tech companies can fined up to A$50m ($32.5m; £25.7m) if they don’t comply with the age restrictions. They will need to deactivate existing accounts and prohibit any new accounts, as well as stopping any work arounds and correcting errors.

More details of how the new ban will work are due to be presented to federal parliament on Wednesday.

YouTube to be included in Australia’s teen social media ban

YouTube – owned by Google – had argued it shouldn’t be blocked for children as the platform “offers benefit and value to younger Australians”: “It’s not social media,” it said in statement on Wednesday.

Under the ban, teenagers will still be able to view YouTube videos but will not be permitted to have an account, which is required for uploading content or interacting on the platform.

The video sharing site was set to be excluded from the ban – which will limit TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X and Snapchat and is due to start in December.

YouTube will be included in Australia’s world-first social media ban for children under 16, after the government ditched a previous exemption for the platform.

Australia’s laws are being watched with great interest by global leaders, with Norway announcing a similar ban and the UK saying it is considering following suit.

“Social media is doing social harm to our children, and I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told media on Wednesday.

“We know that this is not the only solution,” he said of the ban, “but it will make a difference.”

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant last month recommended YouTube be added to the ban as it was “the most frequently cited platform” where children aged 10 to 15 years saw “harmful content”.

After Wednesday’s announcement, a spokesperson from YouTube said it will “consider next steps” and “continue to engage” with the government.

Last week, several Australian media outlets had reported that Google was threatening to sue the government if YouTube was included in the ban, arguing it would restrict political freedom.

Federal Communications Minister Anika Wells said that while there is a place for social media, “there’s not a place for predatory algorithms targeting children”.

She described trying to protect children from the harms of the internet as “like trying to teach your kids to swim in the open ocean with the rips and the sharks compared to at the local council pool”.

“We can’t control the ocean but we can police the sharks and that is why we will not be intimidated by legal threats when this is a genuine fight for the wellbeing of Australian kids,” she said.

Exclusions to the ban will include “online gaming, messaging, education and health apps” as they “pose fewer social media harms to under 16s”, Wells said.

Under the ban, tech companies can fined up to A$50m ($32.5m; £25.7m) if they don’t comply with the age restrictions. They will need to deactivate existing accounts and prohibit any new accounts, as well as stopping any work arounds and correcting errors.

More details of how the new ban will work are due to be presented to federal parliament on Wednesday.

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Jane Archer, Senior Lecturer, Communication, Edith Cowan University

Narong Khueankaew/Shutterstock

The Austalian government has confirmed video-sharing platform YouTube will be included in the upcoming social media ban for children aged 16 and under.

In recent days, the platform – owned by Google – attempted to persuade the Australian government to remain excluded from the upcoming ban. The restrictions are due to come into force in December this year.

Last month, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant advised the government to remove the proposed exemption on YouTube from the upcoming ban. She cited YouTube’s “persuasive design” and algorithmic recommendations that keep young people scrolling.

YouTube has argued it is “not a social media service” and “offers benefit and value to younger Australians”.

Has the government made the right decision? We asked five experts if YouTube should be included – four out of five said no, but all expressed broader concerns about the ban. Here are their detailed answers.

Catherine Jane Archer is an Associate Investigator with the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child.

Catherine Page Jeffery has received funding from the Australian Research Council as well as the Australian government (under the Online Safety Grants Program).

Faith Gordon receives research funding from the Australian Research Council. She has previously received funding from Catch22, a youth charity.

Joanne Orlando has received research funding from the Australian government and NSW state government.

Tama Leaver receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is a chief investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child.

– ref. Should YouTube be included in Australia’s social media ban for kids under 16? We asked 5 experts – https://theconversation.com/should-youtube-be-included-in-australias-social-media-ban-for-kids-under-16-we-asked-5-experts-262046