YouTube Included with TikTok and Snapchat Under Australia’s Social Media Ban

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Australia’s government has announced it will include YouTube in its social media ban for children under 16, reversing a prior exemption for the popular video-sharing platform.

The new ban, due to take effect on December 10, 2025, applies to social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and X. YouTube, however, had been exempt due to its popularity with teachers, but the eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has recommended banning YouTube as well, citing evidence that nearly 40% of children encountered harmful content on the site.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Communications Minister Anika Wells have defended the decision, highlighting their responsibility to protect the youth from the harms of social media. Under the legislation, social media providers face fines of up to AUD 49.5 million for failing to prevent under‑16s from creating accounts.

The Bill specifically mentions:

Age‐restricted social media platforms must be able to demonstrate having taken ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent age‐restricted users from ‘having an account’. At a minimum, this will likely require platforms to introduce some form of age assurance.

Critics, however, have raised concerns. A parent highlighted that the ban could unintentionally harm curious children who benefit from YouTube’s educational content. A student commentator writing for The Guardian also argued that young people will simply circumvent the ban, adding that it punishes responsible youth.

Australia’s move marks the first nationwide age‑based social media restriction of its kind.