Australia bans YouTube accounts for children under 16 in reversal of previous stance
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian government announced YouTube will be among the social media platforms that must ensure account holders are at least 16-years-old from December, reversing a position taken months ago on the popular video-sharing service.
YouTube was listed as an exemption in November last year when the Parliament passed world-first laws that will ban Australian children younger than 16 from platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and X.
Communications Minister Anika Wells released rules Wednesday that decide which online services are defined as 'age-restricted social media platforms' and which avoid the age limit.
The age restrictions take effect Dec. 10 and platforms will face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for 'failing to take responsible steps' to exclude underage account holders, a government statement said. The steps are not defined.
Wells defended applying the restrictions to YouTube and said the government would not be intimidated by threats of legal action from the platform's U.S. owner, Alphabet Inc.
'The evidence cannot be ignored that four out of 10 Australian kids report that their most recent harm was on YouTube,' Wells told reporters, referring to government research. 'We will not be intimidated by legal threats when this is a genuine fight for the wellbeing of Australian kids.'
Children will be able to access YouTube but will not be allowed to have their own YouTube accounts.
YouTube said the government's decision 'reverses a clear, public commitment to exclude YouTube from this ban.'
'We share the government's goal of addressing and reducing online harms. 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 statement said, noting it will consider next steps and engage with the government.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia would campaign at a United Nations forum in New York in September for international support for banning children from social media.
'I know from the discussions I've had with other leaders that they are looking at this and they are considering what impact social media is having on young people in their respective nations,' Albanese said. 'It is a common experience. This is not an Australian experience."
Last year, the government commissioned an evaluation of age assurance technologies that was to report last month on how young children could be excluded from social media.
The government had yet to receive that evaluation's final recommendations, Wells said. But she added the platform users won't have to upload documents such as passports and driver's licenses to prove their age.
'Platforms have to provide an alternative to providing your own personal identification documents to satisfy themselves of age,' Wells said. 'These platforms know with deadly accuracy who we are, what we do and when we do it. And they know that you've had a Facebook account since 2009, so they know that you are over 16."
Exempt services include online gaming, messaging, education and health apps. They are excluded because they are considered less harmful to children.
The minimum age is intended to address harmful impacts on children including addictive behaviors caused by persuasive or manipulative platform design features, social isolation, sleep interference, poor mental and physical health, low life-satisfaction and exposure to inappropriate and harmful content, government documents say.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
27 minutes ago
- New York Post
Stephen A. Smith hits back at Michelle Obama, ‘still … salty' at her Trump vote comments
Stephen A. Smith has hit back at Michelle Obama. The former First Lady took a jab at Smith's employer, ESPN, name-dropping the longtime host and saying the network's shows were like watching reality television, namely 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta.' Advertisement 'It's all a sociological study. They think that sports is better reality TV, I'm like, 'It's the same thing.' If I listen to ESPN for an hour, it's like watching the 'Real Housewives of Atlanta,' you know?' Obama said on her brother Craig's 'IMO' podcast. 'It's the same drama, and they're yelling at each other, and they don't get along, you know? I mean, Stephen A. Smith, he's just like every other. . . . 'So, that's why I'm like, 'what's the difference?' It's just, you know, it's just sociological drama,' added Obama. 'I mean, the fact that people over seasons of working still can't get along. They still have the same arguments, you know, and it's not just women. But this happens in sports, too. I find it fascinating.' Those comments found their way to Smith himself, and he used them as an opportunity not necessarily to respond back, but voice his opinion on one of her strategies while campaigning for Kamala Harris last year. 3 Michelle Obama on her podcast 'IMO' talking about how ESPN is reality tv. Michelle Obama / YouTube Advertisement 'When you were campaigning on behalf of the former Vice President Kamala Harris … you said a vote for [President Donald] Trump was a vote against you and a vote against y'all as women. I want to say for the record – I took major offense to that.' Smith admitted. 'I think to this day is the only thing that I didn't like that you said, I didn't appreciate it. Because there's so many things that go into deciding where your vote is going to go. For some people, it's all about the economy. For others, it's all about national security. 'For some people, it is immigration. For some people, it's safety in the streets of America. Long before they think about pro-choice or pro-life.' 3 Stephen A. Smith looks on before the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers during Game Three of the 2025 NBA Finals on June 11, 2025 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NBAE via Getty Images Advertisement Smith reiterated that he voted for Harris and 'wouldn't vote for Trump,' but 'wasn't excited' how casting his vote for the former vice president 'particularly after I heard about some of the shenanigans that the Democratic Party was engaging in leading up to the election. 'But I'm talking specifically to you, Madam First Lady. You are not just beloved, you are revered. You are sensational in so many ways. I've been on the record on this show and many others stating had you run for president, you would have beat Trump. I still believe that … I believe if your husband elected to come back, he would beat Trump. That's my personal belief . . .' Smith continued. Smith then got into Obama's comments about ESPN, saying he disagreed with those as well. 3 A logo sign at the entrance to the ESPN headquarters on November 03, 2024 in Bristol, Connecticut. Getty Images Advertisement 'So this doesn't have anything to do with what you were talking about, how sports and reality TV mirror one another, even though we would beg to differ. Because a lot of things on reality TV are made-up situations and scenarios to provoke reactions and all of that stuff. 'We're at sports, that's live entertainment, and you're actually competing against one another is big time. No, reality TV is not like that. You're so wrong about that, about that assertion, but that's neither here nor there. . . . 'You will never hear me utter a negative word about you, but I respectfully disagreed and still remain pretty salty about what you said about us,' Smith said, adding that he felt Obama 'sort of blackmail[ed] us emotionally into trying to compel us to vote one way or another.' Perhaps we may get another episode of this apparent Obama-Smith beef.
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Group MD & Director of Mainfreight Donald Braid Buys More Stock
Investors who take an interest in Mainfreight Limited (NZSE:MFT) should definitely note that the Group MD & Director, Donald Braid, recently paid NZ$58.15 per share to buy NZ$581k worth of the stock. However, it only increased shareholding by a small percentage, and it wasn't a huge purchase by absolute value, either. Trump has pledged to "unleash" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit. Mainfreight Insider Transactions Over The Last Year In fact, the recent purchase by Donald Braid was the biggest purchase of Mainfreight shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. That implies that an insider found the current price of NZ$59.50 per share to be enticing. That means they have been optimistic about the company in the past, though they may have changed their mind. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. The good news for Mainfreight share holders is that insiders were buying at near the current price. Mainfreight insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! View our latest analysis for Mainfreight Mainfreight is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of under-the-radar companies with insider buying. Does Mainfreight Boast High Insider Ownership? I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Mainfreight insiders own 20% of the company, currently worth about NZ$1.2b based on the recent share price. Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders. So What Do The Mainfreight Insider Transactions Indicate? The recent insider purchase is heartening. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. Once you factor in the high insider ownership, it certainly seems like insiders are positive about Mainfreight. Looks promising! Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in Mainfreight, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company. If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sydney chicken shop owner reveals tough fight thousands of Aussies face: ‘Really hard'
A Sydney chicken shop owner has opened up about the 'hard' operating conditions facing thousands of Aussie small businesses around the country. Businesses are continuing to battle the rising cost of rent, wages and goods, coupled with still cautious consumer spending. Joe Avers co-founded Super Nash Brothers, a Nashville-style fried chicken shop, in 2021, which now has three locations in Waitara, Waterloo and Willoughby. While the business has seen sales steadily increase this year, Avers told Yahoo Finance the last two and a half years had been 'really, really hard' for profitability. 'Hospitality in itself is a really difficult industry regardless, but there's just been so many pressures between rising energy costs, increases in wages, increases in ingredients costs and raw materials,' he said. 'On top of rent increases with CPIs and our third-party delivery platforms have been just so and so expensive and getting more and more expensive as time goes on, unfortunately.' RELATED Aussie cafe owner's 'pressure' of impending $124,000 superannuation change Australia's 'ancient enemy' returns sparking major Centrelink warning Centrelink pension warning for 4.3 million Aussies facing super nightmare Avers, who co-founded the business with partners Ross Kempt and Will Kierath, said the chain's June year-on-year revenue had dropped by between 3 to 5 per cent. 'It wasn't an enormous amount, but we historically have always been stronger in winter because we're fried chicken, spicy, hot, comfort food,' he said. 'Because of the growth we saw earlier this year, we were like June, July, August are going to be insane, record months, we're going to be healthy from a business perspective. '[So] it was interesting to see we didn't have that same jump from May to June as we have in the past.' Avers said cost-of-living pressures were a factor behind the softer sales. The latest retail spending data found spending in cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services dropped 0.4 per cent in June. To combat cost-of-living pressures experienced by customers, the business introduced a more wallet-friendly menu about 18 months ago, which are slightly smaller versions of their existing combos at 20 to 30 per cent cheaper prices, and has seen good customer adoption. It's also introduced different deals throughout the week through its loyalty program. 'While we are seeing good sales numbers in terms of the volume of customers coming through, the average sale price has definitely dropped off as a result,' he said. Operating costs continue to increase On the operating side, Avers said costs like energy, rent and ingredient costs had been steadily increasing. 'We used to pay $20, $25 for 20 litres of oil, we now pay the equivalent of $85 for 20 litres. So that's gone up almost four times,' he said. 'Every week, there's a new item that goes up. Even if it's just 1, 2, 3 per cent, if it's happening on every product every few months, by the end of the year, the products that we were profitable on previously are pretty much line ball.' Avers said the business had not increased the price of its products in three years. 'It's something that we've really sort of battled with. We get to a point where there's sort of no money in the bank and we go if we increase this product and this product by $1 each, there'd be an extra $2,000 at the end of the week, which would be a significant improvement for us in our cash flow position,' he said. 'But the challenge that we face is, if we do increase it by $1, how many customers do we potentially have drop off and it's just that last straw for a customer.' Small businesses facing headwinds across the board Avers isn't the only small business owner who is experiencing softer sales right now. New research from Xero found Australian small business sales slowed in the June quarter, recording the slowest growth in sales since 2020. Sales grew 3 per cent year on year in the June quarter, down from 5.3 per cent in the March quarter and 2.4 per cent in the December quarter and below the long-term average of 7.8 per cent. Sales were volatile month to month, with the Reserve Bank's rate cuts in February and May appearing to have a short-term positive impact on sales in March and June. Hospitality sales were softer than the average, rising 1.1 per cent year on year, compared to the average 2 per cent year on year growth seen in the two previous quarters. Xero economist Louise Southall told Yahoo Finance the slower growth pointed to continued caution around discretionary spending, with many households still tightening their belts on non-essentials like dining out. 'While recent rate cuts and easing inflation have provided some relief, hospitality businesses are also managing high operating costs, labour shortages and shifting consumer sentiment — all of which add to the pressure,' she said. But business sees 'light at the end of the tunnel' While sales growth is still below the long-term average and slower than previous quarters, Southall said it was encouraging to see Australian small business sales were continuing to rise. 'Australians who are in a position to do so can support hospitality small businesses by dining at independent venues, buying from local cafés, or leaving a positive review for their favourite spots,' she said. 'Small, everyday choices can make a real difference, helping small businesses remain viable and keeping local communities thriving.' Avers said he'd encourage customers to order directly from businesses, rather than use third-party delivery services like Uber Eats and DoorDash. 'What most customers don't know is that Uber Eats actually charges like 30 per cent to the restaurant for the total order value, and then on top of that, the customer then pays the delivery fee,' he said. 'That's a service that is great and helpful but they are paying almost twice as much as they would in store for the convenience of that.' Avers said he was hopeful the business would keep growing and said they weren't planning on closing their doors anytime soon. In fact, they hope to open another store in the next 12 months and are currently looking at franchising opportunities. 'We believe in our product, our team, our brand, our customers enough. We've been through the worst of it through covid and the highest point of interest rates, we'd like to think that there's light at the end of the tunnel,' Avers said. 'We're definitely going to continue to stick it out'
