Australia’s YouTube ban for under-16 year old children explained

Children aged under 16 will be banned from holding a YouTube account. This is how the ban will work and what it means for Aussie households.

Children aged under 16 will be banned from holding a YouTube account at the end of this year after the federal government reversed its decision to exempt the video-sharing giant from new age restrictions.

Anthony Albanese and Communications Minister Anika Wells confirmed the decision on Wednesday after considering advice from the eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant to include the platform.

The Prime Minister said social media companies had a “social responsibility” to protect children from online harms.

With regulations due to take effect on December 10, what can children and their parents expect from the ban?

Why has YouTube been included in the restrictions?

The government acted on a formal recommendation from the eSafety Commissioner to include YouTube in the legislation barring children under-16 from holding accounts.

The platform was initially excluded by former communications minister Michelle Rowland, who said at the time YouTube served “a significant purpose to enable young people to get the education and health support they need”.

However, Ms Inman Grant’s report, released in June, revealed nearly four in ten children reported their most recent online harm occurring on YouTube, making it the most frequently cited platform in their research.

Ms Wells, responding to threats of legal action made by Google in the event the platform’s exemption was scrapped, said the government would “not be intimidated by legal threats”.

“We can’t control the ocean but we can police the sharks … this is a genuine fight for the wellbeing of Australian kids,” she said.

“As parents, we are really trying our best when it comes to the internet but it is like trying to teach your kids to swim in the open ocean with the rips and the sharks compared to at the local council pool.”

YouTube will be blocked from Australian kids under 16. See what it means for your child.

Can children still access YouTube without an account?

In short – yes.

YouTube allows users to watch unrestricted content on their platform without an account meaning minors will still be able to watch videos on their website.

Under the reforms under-16’s will be barred from holding active YouTube accounts, subscribing to channels, or accessing age-restricted videos.

Mr Albanese flagged that teachers in classrooms or parents at home would be able to show educational YouTube videos without having an account.

“We recognise that social media is not all bad. We aren’t saying that. We want to make sure that we restrict the harmful content,” Albanese said.

In addition the platform’s quarantined YouTube Kids service will be exempt from the restrictions.

How will YouTube verify the age of users?

The specifics of how age verification will operate across platforms is still a work in progress, as the online-safety watchdog continues its age verification trial.

However, Ms Wells said platforms would have to provide consumers with an option that did not require them to upload a personal identification document to verify their age.

“The platforms know with deadly accuracy who we are, what we do and when we do it. They know you have had a Facebook account since 2009, so they know you are over 16,” she said.

“There are lots of ways this could be done and we look forward to receiving the latest and latest research from the eSafety Commissioner.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Communication, Anika Wells are joined by Emma Mason, Robb Evans and Mia Bannister at Parliament House. In a world-first, 36 Months and the Albanese Labor Government has announced YouTube will now be included in its under-16 social media laws. .Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

What should parents expect when the ban takes effect?

The government reiterated that the onus is on platforms, not parents when the bans come into effect at the end of this year.

Ms Wells identified the reasonable steps expected of tech platforms who fall foul of the new regulations.

“They have to deactivate existing accounts. They need to make sure, no new accounts are activated and take reasonable steps to make sure any workarounds are mitigated,” she said.

“Come 10 December, if your kid has a Facebook log-in, Facebook account, it is on Facebook to deactivate that account,” she said.

“It is not on the parent to police that on behalf of Facebook.

What is the social media ban?

The decision to ban children under 16 from holding accounts on YouTube forms part of broader legislation put forward by the government last year, aiming to combat social harms stemming from social media use.

The Alphabet-owned platform now joins a myriad of other social media services, including TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and X, captured by the laws, which were introduced by the Albanese government last year.

The introduction of the legislation followed concerted national campaigns, including News Corp’s Let Them Be Kids campaign, calling for action on the harms caused by social media.

Originally published as Australia’s YouTube ban for under-16 year old children explained