Australia expands under-16 social media ban to include YouTube

New Delhi: Australia has widened its social media restrictions for children under the age of 16 to include YouTube, reversing an earlier decision to exempt the platform, as per the report. 

The policy, passed by the Australian Parliament in November 2024, is set to take effect from December this year and seeks to address mounting concerns over the exposure of teenagers to harmful online content.

According to the report, the government move follows recommendations by the country’s internet safety regulator, which flagged YouTube’s popularity among minors and the risks it may pose.

Research cited by the eSafety Commissioner found that 37% of children aged 10 to 15 had encountered harmful content on YouTube, more than on any other major social media platform.

In line with the legislation, platforms that fail to comply with the new restrictions could face penalties of up to A$49.5 million (approximately USD 32.2 million). The ban already includes platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram.

Messaging services, online gaming sites, and platforms classified as lower risk, such as those offering health or educational content, are not covered under the new policy.

The development has sparked criticism from YouTube’s parent company, Alphabet, which maintains that YouTube should not be categorised as a social media site. "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," a YouTube spokesperson said, as per the report.

Other platforms that had been subject to the restrictions from the outset had previously raised concerns about YouTube’s earlier exemption, describing it as inconsistent with the policy’s objectives.