Australia’s online safety watchdog urges ban on YouTube for under-16s

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has urged the federal government to reconsider an exemption granted to YouTube in the country’s proposed social media restrictions for users under 16, setting up a public standoff between the national regulator and the Alphabet-owned platform.

The Albanese government plans to introduce legislation by December that would ban children under 16 from accessing social media and penalise platforms that fail to comply. While most major platforms are expected to fall under the scope of the law, YouTube was initially granted a waiver due to its educational and health-related content.