Australia to ban YouTube for children under 16 to shield them from ‘predatory algorithm'
The Australia YouTube ban for children under 16 follows a similar move the country announced last year, which banned them from using Meta Platforms Inc.'s Facebook and Instagram, Snap Inc.'s Snapchat, TikTok and X — which is due to come into effect from December 10 onwards.
'Young people under the age of 16 will not be able to have accounts on YouTube. They will also not be able to have accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and X among other platforms. We want Australian parents and families to know that we have got their back,' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a press conference on Wednesday.
'We know this is not the only solution and there's more to do. But it will make a difference. We know that social media is doing social harm,' he added.
Communications Minister Anika Wells said four-in-ten Australian children had reported viewing harmful content on YouTube, one of the most visited websites in the world.
"We want kids to know who they are before platforms assume who they are," Wells said in a statement.
'There's a place for social media, but there's not a place for predatory algorithms targeting children.'
The Australia YouTube ban comes despite the country earlier excluding the video-streaming platform from its list.
Now YouTube, along with Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and X, faces a A$49.5 million ($32.2 million) fine if it fails to stop underage children from stopping to use their services, the government says.
A spokesman for YouTube said Wednesday's announcement was a jarring U-turn from the government.
"Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly viewed on TV screens," the company said in a statement.
"It's not social media," the company said on its statement over Australia YouTube ban.
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