YouTube Joins TikTok And Meta in Australia's Under-16 Ban As PM Says He's 'Calling Time On It'
Australia has added YouTube, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google, to its landmark social media ban for children under 16, reversing an earlier exemption.
What Happened: On Wednesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that YouTube will now be included in the upcoming December ban prohibiting minors under 16 from having social media accounts, reported Reuters.
This move aligns YouTube with platforms like Meta Platforms Inc.'s (NASDAQ:META) Facebook and Instagram, ByteDance-owned TikTok and Snap Inc.'s (NYSE:SNAP) Snapchat.
“I’m calling time on it,” Albanese said in a statement. “I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs.”
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The reversal follows a recommendation from Australia's internet safety watchdog, citing a survey where 37% of minors reported encountering harmful content on YouTube — the highest of any major platform.
YouTube criticized the decision, arguing it is not a social media platform. “YouTube is a video-sharing platform… it’s not social media,” a company spokesperson said.
The company had earlier lobbied the government to retain its exemption and has not ruled out a legal challenge, the report said.
Communications Minister Anika Wells responded, saying, “I will not be intimidated by legal threats when this is a genuine fight for the well-being of Australian kids.”
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Why It’s Important: In 2024, Australia enacted one of the world's toughest social media laws, mandating platforms to restrict access for users under 16 or risk fines of up to A$49.5 million.
YouTube was initially exempted from the rule due to its role as an educational resource and its provision of supervised access via family accounts.
The platform has publicly stated that it is stepping up moderation efforts and enhancing its automated systems to better detect harmful content.
According to StatCounter Global Stats, Facebook remained the dominant social media platform in Australia as of June 2025, commanding a significant 64.35% market share.
Instagram followed distantly with 9.93%, closely trailed by X, formerly Twitter, at 9.33% and Pinterest (NYSE:PINS) at 8.1%. Reddit Inc. (NYSE:RDDT) accounted for 3.34% of usage, while YouTube held a comparatively smaller share at 2.89%.
Price Action: In after-hours trading, Alphabet Inc.’s Class A shares declined 0.27% to $195.23, while Class C shares dipped 0.14% to $196.15, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings indicate that GOOG continues to exhibit strong upward momentum across short, medium and long-term timeframes. Further performance details are available here.
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