“We want kids to know who they are before platforms assume who they are,” Communications Minister Anika Wells said in a statement. “There’s a place for social media, but there’s not a place for predatory algorithms targeting children.”
Australia announced last year it was drafting laws that will ban children from social media sites such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram until they turn 16. The government had previously indicated YouTube would be exempt, given its widespread use in classrooms.
“Young people under the age of 16 will not be able to have accounts on YouTube,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters on Wednesday.
“They will also not be able to have accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and X among other platforms.” “We want Australian parents and families to know that we have got their back,” he added.
A spokesman for YouTube said Wednesday’s announcement was a jarring U-turn.
“Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly viewed on TV screens,” the company said in a statement. “It’s not social media.”
