Teenagers will be banned from using YouTube in Australia

Australia will add the YouTube video platform to the list of sites that are subject to a ban on social media for teenagers. This was reported on July 29 by the Reuters news agency, citing the country's government.

This decision was made based on the results of a study among minors. During the survey, 37% of respondents reported malicious content on the video platform. The restrictions will take effect in December.

"We are implementing these rules and this law on behalf of parents who want and deserve the best protection for their children online. <...> We cannot ignore the fact that four out of ten Australian children report that they were last harmed on YouTube," said Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells.

YouTube said that almost three quarters of Australians aged 13 to 15 use the site and it should not be classified as a social network, since its main activity is the posting of videos.

"Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform. <...> This is not a social network," a YouTube representative said.

In November 2024, the Australian government passed a law according to which children under the age of 16 cannot use social networks. According to the authorities, this bill will provide greater protection for young people "at critical stages of their development." The number of social networks that are subject to age restrictions includes Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram (owned by Meta, recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation, banned), X (formerly Twitter) and others.

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