Australia Extends Social Media Age Restriction to YouTube

Melbourne, Jul 30 (AP) The Australian government has declared that YouTube will join the ranks of the social media platforms required to ensure users are at least 16 years old starting this December. This decision reverses a previous exemption granted to YouTube just months prior.

Last November, YouTube was initially excluded when the Australian Parliament enacted groundbreaking legislation to ban children under 16 from platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and X.

Communications Minister Anika Wells unveiled new regulations on Wednesday specifying which online services will be categorized as “age-restricted social media platforms” and which will be exempt from the new age requirement.

The age restrictions will become effective on December 10, and platforms could face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (USD 33 million) if they fail to take “reasonable steps” to prevent underage account holders, according to a government statement. The specifics of these steps remain undefined.

Wells justified the inclusion of YouTube in these restrictions, emphasizing that the government would not be deterred by potential legal challenges from YouTube's US parent company, Alphabet Inc. “The evidence cannot be ignored that four out of 10 Australian kids report that their most recent harm was on YouTube,” Wells stated. “We will not be intimidated by legal threats when this is a genuine fight for the wellbeing of Australian kids.” While children can still access YouTube, they will be restricted from creating their own accounts.

YouTube responded by stating that the government's decision “reverses a clear, public commitment to exclude YouTube from this ban.” The platform expressed alignment with the goal of reducing online harms but maintained, “YouTube is a video-sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly viewed on TV screens. It's not social media.” YouTube plans to consider its next steps and continue engaging with the government.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Australia’s intention to advocate for global backing of the social media ban for children at a United Nations forum in New York in September. “This is not an Australian experience,” Albanese remarked, noting that international leaders are also concerned about the impact of social media on youth.

Last year, Australia commissioned a study on age verification technologies, aimed at understanding better ways to keep young children off social media, the findings of which are pending. Wells clarified that users would not need to provide documentation like passports or driver’s licenses to verify their age.

“Platforms must find an alternative to asking for personal identification documents for age verification,” Wells stated. “These platforms possess significant data on our activities and histories, such as knowing you've held a Facebook account since 2009, confirming you're over 16.”

Services like online gaming, messaging, and educational and health apps are exempt as they are deemed less harmful to children.

The age restriction is designed to counteract detrimental effects on children, including addictive behaviors from manipulative platform design, social isolation, sleep disturbances, and mental and physical health issues, as well as exposure to harmful content, government documents outline. (AP) NPK NPK

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