Australia revealed on Wednesday that YouTube will now be included in its planned ban on social media access for children under 16, a policy reversal that follows an earlier decision to exempt the Alphabet-owned site.
The policy shift came after Australia’s online safety regulator pushed for it after determining that 37% of children aged 10 to 15 years had been exposed to nasty content on YouTube higher than on any other platform. The shift brings YouTube in line with other social media platforms already impacted by the law, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, which had complained that excluding YouTube would be creating an unbalanced playing field.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese justified the move by saying, “Social media has a social responsibility, and there is no doubt Australian kids are being negatively affected by these platforms. I want Australian parents to know we have their backs.”
According to the new legislation approved in November, social media companies that do not abide by age requirements from December onwards may be fined as much as A$49.5 million (USD 32.2 million).
YouTube replied that it would consider its next move and go back to negotiating with the government. “We both want to bring down online harm. But YouTube is a video-sharing website, more and more watched on TV, rather than a social network site,” a company representative wrote in an email.
The prohibition will not extend to online gaming, messaging services, or health and education websites, which are either viewed as less risky for teens or are subject to different legislative regimes. Communications Minister Anika Wells made it clear that the new regulations would continue to be flexible. “The rules are not a set and forget, they are a set and support,” she stated.
