YouTube Agrees to Comply with Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban
GeokHub
Contributing Writer
SYDNEY — Dec 3 (GeokHub) YouTube has announced it will comply with Australia’s new law that bans social media accounts for users under 16. From December 10, all Australian users younger than 16 will be automatically logged out and barred from interacting — meaning they cannot comment, like, subscribe or upload content.
Under the measure, under-16s will still be able to watch public videos while logged out, but all account-based features will be disabled. That includes content creation and social interaction features, effectively removing the full account experience for teens.
YouTube expressed disappointment with the decision, arguing that mandatory logout and disabling account features may undermine safety and parental-control benefits, which rely on user sign-in. The company maintains the view that being forced to treat YouTube exactly like social-media apps could miss the platform’s video-first nature.
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Still, with fines for non-compliance potentially reaching tens of millions of Australian dollars, YouTube — like several other big platforms — chose to align with the law. The move marks a major shift for teen users in Australia, many of whom will lose access to account features, creators under 16 will no longer be able to publish content, and families will need to navigate a changed relationship with the service.
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