Australia YouTube ban for children under 16 will be enforced starting December.
Australia On December 10, YouTube will formally restrict youngsters under the age of sixteen, implementing stringent new guidelines for internet safety. In Australia, it is illegal for anybody under the age of sixteen to create or manage a YouTube account. This rule was passed in 2024.
The law is a component of a larger initiative to control social media use and shield kids from dangers on the internet. YouTube and other social media sites will have to confirm users’ ages and delete accounts belonging to minors.
Beginning on December 10, Australians under the age of sixteen will not be permitted to register for a YouTube account. They will still be able to watch videos on YouTube, though. Anika Wells, Australia’s minister of communications, disclosed this information on Wednesday.
A bill prohibiting children under 16 from using social media was passed by Australia’s Parliament in November of last year. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and X were among these platforms. YouTube was not subject to the law at the time. Australia is the first country in the world to implement such a law.
Existing accounts and parental approval are not exempt from the law. Platforms have a year from the date of the law’s passage to determine how to apply the limitations.
Apps for texting and gaming are not prohibited.
Social media companies will be in charge of making sure that users younger than the designated age cannot register for accounts on their sites. A fine of up to 50 million Australian dollars, or around ₹282.34 crore, might be imposed for noncompliance.
To confirm their age, users won’t need to provide documents like passports or driver’s licenses. Apps for education, health, communications, and online gaming have been exempted from this prohibition since they are thought to be less dangerous for kids.
“We are not a social media platform,” YouTube stated.
According to YouTube, it supports the government’s objective of minimizing and averting harm that occurs online. By stating, “YouTube is a video-sharing platform, not social media,” it made its stance clear. It provides a selection of excellent, free material that is also frequently viewed on television. We will continue to consult with the administration and assess our next course of action.
At least eleven social media platforms have an Indian user.
Indian smartphone users spend an average of 7.3 hours a day on social media, according to research firm Redseer. Chinese users spend 5.3 hours a day, whereas Americans spend 7.1 hours.
Additionally, Indians have the most social media accounts worldwide. The average Indian user has at least 11 social media accounts, compared to an average of seven for users in the US and the UK.
Indian children’s social media ban petition denied
A petition to legally prohibit children under the age of 13 from using social media was denied by the Supreme Court on April 4.
Additionally, Indians have the most social media accounts worldwide. The average Indian user has at least 11 social media accounts, compared to an average of seven for users in the US and the UK.
“This is a policy matter,” said a bench that included Justices B.R. Gavai and Augustine George Masih. You ought to ask Parliament to enact legislation. This is outside of our purview. The Jep Foundation filed the petition, asking the Center and other authorities to use age verification methods, such as biometric authentication, to control children’s access to social media.
