Australia expands teen social media ban to include YouTube
The Australian government has added YouTube to its world-first ban on social media use by teenagers, reversing an earlier decision to exempt the platform. The expanded ban, set to take effect in December, will prevent anyone under 16 from having a YouTube account.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the move was necessary to protect young Australians from harmful online content, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
“I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs,” he said, urging social media platforms to take more responsibility for children’s wellbeing.
The change follows a recommendation from the country’s internet regulator, which reported that 37% of minors had encountered harmful content on YouTube – the highest rate among social media platforms.
A YouTube spokesperson said the platform should not be classified as social media, noting that its primary purpose is to host a large library of video content.
“Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform … it’s not social media,” the company said in a statement.
The platform is especially popular among young Australians, with nearly three-quarters of those aged 13–15 using it regularly.
The government initially exempted YouTube because of its widespread use in schools, but competitors like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat had argued the exemption was unfair, citing similar interactive features and algorithm-based recommendations.
Angela Falkenberg, president of the Australian Primary Principals Association, welcomed the expanded ban:
“Teachers are always curators of any resource for appropriateness and will be judicious,” she said.
Cybersecurity experts also pointed to the rise of misinformation amplified by artificial intelligence on platforms such as YouTube.
Similar news
