YouTube says it will comply with Australia’s under-16 social media ban
YouTube announced on Wednesday that it will comply with Australia’s world-first ban on social media accounts for users under the age of 16, ending weeks of uncertainty about how the platform would respond to the new law.
The decision means millions of Australian users — including content creators aged 13 to 15 — will be signed out of their accounts from Dec. 10. YouTube had initially been exempted from the legislation because of its educational value, but the government later included the platform, prompting Google to seek legal advice before confirming its position, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
In a statement, YouTube said users must now be at least 16 to sign in, calling the update “disappointing” and warning that the ban would “make Australian kids less safe on YouTube,” since parental controls only work when a child is logged in. Under the rules, under-16 users will still be able to watch videos while logged out but will lose access to subscriptions, likes, comments, and the ability to upload.
Communications Minister Anika Wells pushed back on YouTube’s criticism, saying it was “weird” for the platform to emphasize how unsafe its logged-out environment is. “If YouTube is reminding us all that there is content not appropriate for age-restricted users, that’s a problem YouTube needs to fix,” she said.
The law — the first of its kind anywhere — requires all major social media platforms to remove accounts belonging to users under 16 or face fines of up to A$49.5 million ($32.5 million). Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat had already agreed to comply. Only X and Reddit have not yet publicly committed.
Regulators say the measure responds to growing evidence that platforms are failing to protect young users from harmful content. According to the eSafety Commissioner, YouTube has about 325,000 accounts held by Australians aged 13 to 15 — more than Instagram but fewer than Snapchat. It also had the highest rate of harmful content exposure, with more than one-third of users aged 10 to 15 reporting encountering damaging material.
Officials say the list of platforms covered by the ban may be expanded as young users migrate to lesser-known apps, underscoring the fast-changing nature of the social media landscape.
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