Australia expands teen social media ban to YouTube, reverses earlier exemption
The shift, set to take effect in December 2025, follows pressure from Australia’s internet regulator and a recent survey revealing that 37% of minors encountered harmful content on YouTube - the highest among all platforms surveyed.
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In a landmark move, Australia has announced that YouTube will be included in its world-first ban on social media access for users under 16, reversing an earlier decision to exempt the Alphabet-owned video platform, as per a Reuters report.
The shift, set to take effect in December 2025, follows pressure from Australia's internal regulator and a recent survey revealing that 37% of minors encountered harmful content on YouTube - the highest among all platforms surveyed, the report stated.
"I'm calling time on it," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday, the report added. Emphasizing the government's duty to protect children online, he added, "I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs."
The decision extends the scope of a pioneering law passed in November 2024, which mandates that social media companies take "reasonable steps" to prevent underage Australians from creating accounts - or face fines up to AU$49.5 million.
YouTube, which claims nearly 75% of Australians aged 13 to 15 use the platform, has long argued it should not be classified as social media.
However, critics - including competing platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, which are already covered by the ban - say YouTube offers similar interactive features and algorithm-driven content feeds. They argue YouTube's exemption was inconsistent and unfair, particularly given its role in youth digital consumption, the report added.
Previously, the platform had received special treatment due to its educational popularity—teachers often use YouTube videos in classrooms. The updated law will still permit adults to curate and present YouTube content to minors, provided students don’t operate their own accounts.
While YouTube did not confirm reports that it may challenge the ban legally, the company previously warned the government to “uphold the integrity of the legislative process,” the report added.
This isn’t the first clash between Canberra and Alphabet. In 2021, Google threatened to pull some services from Australia in response to a media bargaining law requiring platforms to pay for news content.
