YouTube Warns Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban Will Make Kids “Less Safe”

YouTube has strongly criticised Australia’s new law banning all users under 16 from having social media accounts, saying the policy is “rushed” and will actually make children less safe online.

What YouTube Says

Starting 10 December, anyone under 16 will be automatically signed out of their YouTube account. This means:

• They cannot upload videos

• They cannot comment

• Parents lose all parental controls, including:
  ✔ Restricted mode
  ✔ Channel blocking
  ✔ Content filters
  ✔ Bedtime & break reminders

Children can still watch YouTube videos — but only without an account, which removes all protections.

YouTube warns this strips away a decade of safety tools and:

“Will not make kids safer… and will in fact make Australian kids less safe.”

Google is reportedly considering a legal challenge.

Government Hits Back

Communications Minister Anika Wells called YouTube’s argument “outright weird”:

“If YouTube is reminding us that it is not safe… that is a problem YouTube needs to fix.”

Wells said the law aims to protect Generation Alpha from:

• Predatory algorithms

• Endless scrolling

• Constant notifications

• “Behavioural cocaine” (as described by the inventor of the algorithmic feed)

She acknowledged the rollout would have “teething problems.”

Why YouTube Was Included in the Ban

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner said YouTube was:

• The most frequently cited platform where kids aged 10–15 encountered harmful content

YouTube’s exemption was therefore removed in July.

What the Ban Covers

Under the Social Media Minimum Age Act:

• No accounts for under-16s on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, Reddit, Twitch, Threads, Kick

• Platforms must deactivate existing accounts

• No workarounds allowed

• Non-compliance fines: up to A$49.5 million

YouTube Kids is not affected by the ban.

New Concerns: Lemon8 & Yope

With the ban approaching, Australian teens have rapidly shifted to smaller apps like:

• Lemon8 (owned by TikTok’s parent ByteDance)

• Yope

The eSafety Commissioner has ordered them to self-assess whether they fall under the ban.