YouTube Must Implement Age Restrictions in Australia
The Australian government has decided that starting this December, YouTube will be among the social media platforms required to verify that users are at least 16 years old.
Previously, YouTube was exempt from a law enacted last November, which was the first of its kind globally, banning kids under 16 from using social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and X.
On Wednesday, Communications Minister Annika Wells introduced new guidelines that specify which online services qualify as “age-restricted social media platforms” and how they must navigate age restrictions.
The impending age limit will come into force on December 10. If YouTube fails to implement sufficient measures to identify underage users, it could face fines of up to $50 million AUD (around $33 million USD). However, the government has not provided specific details on what measures need to be in place.
In defense of these restrictions, Wells mentioned that the government wouldn’t be deterred by potential legal challenges from Alphabet Inc., the parent company of YouTube. “The evidence indicating that four out of ten children in Australia report experiencing harm on YouTube is significant,” she noted, referencing government research. “When it comes to the well-being of Australian children, we are not intimidated by legal threats.”
While children can access YouTube, they are prohibited from creating their own accounts.
YouTube expressed disappointment, stating that this decision contradicts a previous public commitment to exclude the platform from the ban.
“We align with the government’s aim to mitigate online harm. Our stance is straightforward—YouTube is primarily a video-sharing platform, not a social media site,” the company stated while reviewing the situation and its options moving forward.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese mentioned that Australia will push for a global ban on children using social media at the upcoming United Nations Forum in New York this September. “Discussions with other leaders indicate they are reflecting on how social media impacts youth in their countries,” he said.
Last year, the government sought an assessment of age verification technologies, which was due to report last month on how to effectively keep young children off social media platforms.
Wells noted that the government hasn’t yet received the final recommendations from that evaluation but added that users wouldn’t be required to submit personal documents like passports or driver’s licenses for age verification. “Platforms can determine our identities and behaviors without those documents,” she explained. “For example, they can see that you’ve had a Facebook account since 2009, which clearly shows you’re over 16.”
Exemptions from the ban include online gaming, messaging, educational platforms, and health applications, deemed not harmful to children.
The age restriction aims to mitigate detrimental effects on children, including issues linked to manipulative platform designs, social isolation, disrupted sleep, detrimental mental and physical health, unsatisfactory life experiences, and addiction caused by inappropriate content, according to government documents.
