Australia Includes YouTube in Under-16 Social Media Ban
(MENAFN) Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Wednesday that YouTube will now be included in the national ban on social media access for children under 16 years old.
"Young people under the age of 16 will not be able to have accounts on YouTube," Albanese declared during a press briefing in Canberra.
"They will also not be able to have accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X, amongst other platforms," he continued.
The move follows a recommendation from Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who urged that YouTube be added to the list of restricted platforms.
Meanwhile, YouTube’s parent company, Google, issued a statement acknowledging the announcement, stating the company "shares the Government's goal of addressing and reducing online harms."
Google emphasized a distinction, saying: "Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video-sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly viewed on TV screens. It’s not social media."
Australia made global headlines in November when it became the first nation to legislate a comprehensive ban on social media use for individuals under 16.
The legislation—targeting platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and X—is scheduled to take effect at the end of this year.
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