Australia bans YouTube accounts for children under 16 in reversal of previous stance

The Australian government announced that YouTube will be among the social media platforms that must ensure account holders are at least 16 years old from December, reversing a position taken months ago on the popular video-sharing service. YouTube was listed as an exemption in November last year when the Parliament passed world-first laws that will ban Australian children younger than 16 from platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and X. Communications Minister Anika Wells released rules Wednesday that decide which online services are defined as “age-restricted social media platforms” and which avoid the age limit. The Australian government announced that YouTube will be among the social media platforms that must ensure account holders are at least 16 years old from December. AP The age restrictions take effect Dec. 10, and platforms will face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for “failing to take responsible steps” to exclude underage account holders, a government statement said. The steps are not defined. Wells defended applying the restrictions to YouTube and said the government would not be intimidated by threats of legal action from the platform’s U.S. owner, Alphabet Inc. “The evidence cannot be ignored that four out of 10 Australian kids report that their most
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