Australia announced on Wednesday that it would include YouTube in its ban on social media access for teenagers, reversing an earlier decision to exempt the Alphabet-owned video-sharing platform.
The reversal could trigger a legal challenge.
The ban, set to take effect in December, seeks to protect minors from harmful content and algorithm-driven exposure.
The latest decision came after the internet regulator asked the government last month to overturn the YouTube carve-out, citing a survey that found 37 per cent of minors reported harmful content on the site, the worst showing for a social media platform.
The prime minister said his government was standing with parents and prioritising child safety online. “I am calling time on it,” Anthony Albanese said, stating that Australian children were being negatively affected by social media platforms.
“I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs.”
While YouTube claims it’s a video sharing platform, critics argue it functions similarly to banned apps like Instagram and TikTok.
“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,” a YouTube spokesperson said by email.
“We have written directly to the government, urging them to uphold the integrity of the legislative process and protect the age-appropriate experiences and safeguards we provide for young Australians.”
Other social media platforms had criticised the earlier decision to exempt YouTube from the ban, arguing that it functioned similarly to them by promoting user interaction and algorithm-based content. TikTok had described it as a “sweetheart deal”.
🚨Australia's eSafety Commissioner on the age verification technology being rolled out for the social media ban:
— Nathan Livingstone (MilkBarTV) (@TheMilkBarTV) June 24, 2025
"In addition to some of the facial age estimation tools - there's one that uses a lot of medical science about ligaments & ligatures - so it asks you to make… pic.twitter.com/pvwirxeJF9
Although YouTube will now be included in the ban for users under 16, parents and teachers can still show videos to minors.
The decision to include YouTube in the under-16 social media ban reflects growing concern over AI-driven misinformation and big tech’s influence, according to cybersecurity expert Adam Marre.
“The Australian government’s move to regulate YouTube is an important step in pushing back against the unchecked power of big tech and protecting kids,” he told Reuters.
Mr Albanese had earlier asserted that the policy would be made independently of any corporate threats. “The minister will make these assessments,” he told ABC TV on Sunday, “independent of any of these threats that’re made by the social media companies. I say to them that social media has a social responsibility. There’s no doubt that young people are being impacted adversely in their mental health by some of the engagement with social media and that is why the government has acted.”
The decision was set to heighten tensions with Alphabet, which previously threatened to withdraw services over regulatory disputes.
Federal communications minister Anika Wells vowed not to be swayed by legal threats as the Albanese government awaited a report on age-verification tools that could shape enforcement of the ban.
“I will not be intimidated by legal threats when this is a genuine fight for the well-being of Australian kids,” Ms Wells told the parliament on Wednesday.
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