Australia to ban YouTube for under 16s

Last year the Australian government introduced plans to ban children under the age of 16 from using social media - but it has now been announced this will also include YouTube.

It had originally been said that the video-sharing site would be excluded from the ban, which will affect the use of TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X and Snapchat and is due to start in December.

The ban won't make it impossible for under 16s to view YouTube videos, as they can watch on someone else's profile or without signing in - but they won't be allowed to have an account and can't upload content or interact on the platform.

The ban means that tech companies will need to deactivate existing accounts and stop any new accounts that break the rules from being set up.

If they don't, they will have to pay a fine of up to A$50m (£25.7m).

Why has YouTube now been added to the social media ban?

The change comes after Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant recommended YouTube be added to the list last month.

She said it was "the most frequently cited platform" where children aged 10 to 15 years are able to view "harmful content".

But YouTube, owned by Google, has argued it shouldn't be blocked for children, as the platform "offers benefit and value to younger Australians".

Speaking on Wednesday after the news was announced, the company said that YouTube is "not social media," and said it will "consider next steps" and "continue to engage" with the government.

Video platform TikTok, as well as Instagram, Facebook, X and Snapchat have also been included in the ban

The government has also decided not to include "online gaming, messaging, education and health apps" as it has said they "pose fewer social media harms to under 16s".

This new law will come in effect in December.

Let us know in the comments what you think about this. Do you think it's right that Australia is including YouTube in their social media ban?