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YouTube Joins Teen Social Media Ban in Australia over Safety

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Business Honor - Australia Bans YouTube Accounts for Under‑16s

Business Honor
06 August, 2025

Australia expands under-16 social media ban to include YouTube, citing harmful content risks.

YouTube will now be included in Australia's ban on social media sites for minors under the age of sixteen. This reverses an earlier decision that had excluded YouTube, recognizing it mainly as a video-sharing site rather than social media. The country’s internet regulator recommended this change after a survey showed that 37% of minors on YouTube encountered harmful content. The ban aims to protect young users from harmful online material and will begin in December.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said social media companies have a responsibility to keep kids safe, and the government supports parents in this effort. Previously, the prohibition already applied to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. However, YouTube have argued that it should not be considered as social media because it primarily hosts videos rather than offering direct social networking features.

Despite this, other social media companies pointed out that YouTube uses similar features such as user interaction and content suggestions powered by algorithms, which can expose young viewers to harmful content. YouTube has expressed concern about the decision and stated it is a video platform with mostly free, high-quality content viewed on many devices including TVs. The company has reportedly warned the Australian government it might legally challenge the ban, though this has not been officially confirmed.

Australia’s new law requires social media platforms to take reasonable steps to keep users under 16 off their sites, with penalties of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars for non-compliance. The government is currently reviewing age verification tools to help to apply the ban. This move reflects growing problems about children’s safety online and demonstrates the challenges in regulating developing digital platforms like YouTube.