Children and teenagers under the age of 16 will soon be barred from logging into YouTube as part of a new social media ban, after the government reversed its earlier plan to grant the platform an exemption.
Details of how the ban will be implemented are expected to be presented to parliament on Wednesday. These include clarifications on which types of platforms will be excluded from the restrictions, such as those mainly focused on gaming, messaging, health, and education.
This decision follows recent threats from Google, YouTube’s parent company, to take legal action if the government proceeds without the exemption, citing the platform’s educational uses as a key reason for the exception.
Over the weekend, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese indicated that no final decision had been made on whether YouTube would be included in the ban, despite the draft rules listing it as exempt. The Prime Minister also stated that the government would not be swayed by legal threats from social media companies.
“Social media has a social responsibility, and there is no doubt that Australian kids are being negatively impacted by online platforms. It’s time to take action,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Unlike other social media sites, YouTube does not require users to create an account to access most features. Even after the law takes effect in December, young people will still be able to use the platform in a logged-out mode.
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