YouTube says it will comply with Australia's teen social media ban
EL.KZ Информационно-познавательный портал
03.12.2025 09:13
Фото:
El.kz / Recraft / Dinmukhamed Beissembayev
Google's YouTube shared a "disappointing update" to millions of Australian users and content creators on Wednesday, saying it will comply with a world-first teen social media ban by locking out users aged under 16 from their accounts within days, El.kz cites Reuters.
The decision ends a stand-off between the internet giant and the Australian government which initially exempted YouTube from the age restriction, citing its use for educational purposes.
"Viewers must now be 16 or older to sign into YouTube," the company said in a statement.
"This is a disappointing update to share. This law will not fulfill its promise to make kids safer online and will, in fact, make Australian kids less safe on YouTube."
The Australian ban is being closely watched by other jurisdictions considering similar age-based measures, setting up a potential global precedent for how the mostly U.S. tech giants behind the biggest platforms balance child safety with access to digital services.
The Australian government says the measure responds to mounting evidence that platforms are failing to do enough to protect children from harmful content.
Signed out
YouTube said any user aged under 16 would be automatically signed out of their account from December 10, meaning they could no longer subscribe, like or comment on posts although they could still view content logged out.
That meant underage content creators also could not log in or post. YouTube did not say how it would verify someone's age.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel and be the first to know the news!
El recommends 
29 November 2023, 12:41
Abay schoolchildren invent ECOBIKE to generate "green" energy
24 November 2023, 17:15
Alikhan Smailov demands to ensure timely commissioning of new medical facilities in rural areas
16 November 2023, 12:12
Tokayev signed law on Children’s Payments from Kazakh National Fund