“Social media is doing social harm to our children, and I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs.” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that on Wednesday, as his government confirmed YouTube will be covered by Australia’s ban on social media for children under 16.
YouTube had been set to escape it. The government dropped that exemption. The ban, due to start in December, already limits TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X and Snapchat.
Teenagers will still be able to watch YouTube videos. What they will lose is the account, which is needed to upload content or interact on the platform.
The decision follows a recommendation last month from Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant. She said YouTube was “the most frequently cited platform” where children aged 10 to 15 saw “harmful content.”
Google, which owns YouTube, fought the move. “It’s not social media,” the company said in a statement on Wednesday, arguing the platform “offers benefit and value to younger Australians.” Several Australian outlets reported last week that Google had threatened to sue if YouTube was included, saying a ban would restrict political freedom. After the announcement, a YouTube spokesperson said the company would “consider next steps” and “continue to engage” with the government.
Communications Minister Anika Wells was blunt about the threat. “We can’t control the ocean but we can police the sharks and that is why we will not be intimidated by legal threats when this is a genuine fight for the wellbeing of Australian kids,” she said. She compared protecting children online to teaching them to swim in open water with rips and sharks, rather than at the local council pool, and said there is no place for “predatory algorithms targeting children.”
Online gaming, messaging, education and health apps are excluded, because they “pose fewer social media harms to under 16s,” Wells said.
Companies that fail to comply can be fined up to A$50m ($32.5m; 25.7m pounds). They must deactivate existing accounts, block new ones, stop workarounds and fix errors. Albanese conceded the ban is not a cure-all: “We know that this is not the only solution, but it will make a difference.”
Other governments are watching. Norway has announced a similar ban, and the UK says it is considering one. More detail on how the Australian ban will work was due before federal parliament on Wednesday.
