SYDNEY, Australia – YouTube launched a fierce attack on Australia’s ground-breaking social media ban for children under 16, calling the policy rushed and counterproductive, as the government defended the world-first restrictions as necessary protection against “predatory algorithms.”
The controversy escalates just one week before the ban takes effect on 10 December, when major platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube must remove underage accounts or face fines of up to AUS$49.5 million (R 557.3 million).
“This law will not fulfil its promise to make kids safer online, and will, in fact, make Australian kids less safe on YouTube,” said Rachel Lord, the company’s public policy manager. “We’ve heard from parents and educators who share these concerns.”
The US video streaming giant, which was initially expected to escape the ban to allow children access to educational content, will automatically sign out Australian users under 16 on 10 December using ages linked to their Google accounts.
Underage users can still visit the site without accounts but will lose access to key safety features including “wellbeing settings” and “safety filters,” according to YouTube.
Australia’s under-16s social media sites ban takes effect on 10 December, when major platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube must remove underage accounts or face fines of up to AUS$49.5 million (R 557.3 million). PHOTO: AFP
Communications Minister Anika Wells dismissed YouTube’s criticism as “outright weird,” turning the company’s safety concerns back on itself.
“If YouTube is reminding us all that it is not safe and there’s content not appropriate for age-restricted users on their website, that’s a problem that YouTube needs to fix,” Wells said.
“With one law, we can protect Generation Alpha from being sucked into purgatory by the predatory algorithms,” she added.
The ban is expected to affect hundreds of thousands of Australian adolescents. Instagram alone reports approximately 350,000 users aged 13 to 15 in the country.
The Australian government acknowledges the policy won’t be perfect initially, with some underage users likely to slip through as platforms work out implementation issues. However, companies face substantial penalties if they fail to take “reasonable steps” to comply.
The restrictions face legal opposition from the Digital Freedom Project, which launched a High Court challenge last week arguing the laws represent an “unfair” assault on freedom of speech.
Meanwhile, Meta has already begun deactivating accounts based on age information provided during account creation.
YouTube has assured users it will archive rather than delete accounts, preserving content and data for when users turn 16.
International regulators are closely watching Australia’s experiment as governments worldwide grapple with social media’s potential harmful effects on young people.
Some popular platforms including Roblox, Pinterest, and WhatsApp currently remain exempt from the ban, though the list remains under review as Australia pioneers what could become a global regulatory template.
The ban represents the most comprehensive attempt by any nation to restrict children’s access to social media platforms, setting a potential precedent for similar legislation worldwide.
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