Australia to ban children under 16 from using YouTube

Starting in December, Australians under the age of 16 will no longer be able to create an account or access YouTube, as the country moves to tighten its restrictions on social media platforms.

The video-sharing site has been added to a growing list of platforms targeted by new legislation aimed at protecting minors online, following a request by the national internet regulator.

“We know that social media is doing social harm,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a press conference. “My government and this parliament are ready to take action to protect young Australians.”

The law also applies to apps such as Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X.

While a poll conducted last month found that a majority of Australians support the legislation, YouTube pushed back, arguing that the platform is not a social media network.

“Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video-sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content. It’s not social media,” the company said in a statement.

(QG - Source: EuroNews  - Picture : © Unsplash)