On Tuesday, YouTube, the platform owned by Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google, said anyone in Australia under 16 will be automatically signed out of their accounts on Dec. 10 as the Social Media Minimum Age Act takes effect.
YouTube Begins Mass Logouts Ahead Of New Law
The company confirmed that both viewers and creators will lose access until they turn 16.
Rachel Lord, Google and YouTube Australia's senior public policy manager, said in a blog post that the company is complying even though it opposed being included in the crackdown.
She said the law forces teens to watch YouTube without the protections that come with signed-in accounts.
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"This is a disappointing update to share…. We have consistently said, this rushed regulation misunderstands our platform and the way young Australians use it. Most importantly, this law will not fulfill its promise to make kids safer online, and will, in fact, make Australian kids less safe on YouTube," the blog post read.
WhatsApp, YouTube Kids And More Are Exempted From The Ban
The law, passed in late 2024, requires platforms such as Meta Platforms, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:META) Facebook and Instagram, ByteDance's TikTok, Snap Inc.'s (NYSE:SNAP) Snapchat, Reddit Inc. (NASDAQ:RDDT), X, Twitch and YouTube to take "reasonable steps" to prevent under-16s from having accounts.
Australia's eSafety Commissioner ruled that several services — including Discord, Roblox, WhatsApp, Google Classroom, Pinterest (NYSE:PINS), Microsoft Corp's (NASDAQ:MSFT) GitHub and YouTube Kids — do not meet the criteria of age-restricted social media and will not be subject to the ban.
Earlier this month, Malaysia raised the minimum age for social media accounts to 16 next year, requiring platforms to verify users' identities through eKYC checks using official documents as part of its Online Safety Act, taking effect Jan. 1, 2026.
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