Teenagers in Australia will no longer have access to YouTube and other social media platforms following the implementation of a new law. announced back in November 2024, the ban is set to go live in Christmas 2025 after a trial period starting in January 2025. The decision to include YouTube in the ban came after the country's online safety regulator highlighted the platform's high rate of harmful content reported by minors. Despite Google's protest, the ban will affect users under 16, aiming to protect young individuals from damaging content.
has decided to include Google's platform in its upcoming social media ban for users under 16. The shift came after the country's online safety regulator pushed for the change, pointing to survey data showing that YouTube had the highest rate of reported harmful content among minors – 37% of young users said they'd seen something damaging there. Receive the latest Google news
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Google stated that YouTube is a video sharing platform with high-quality content and not a social media platform, but the ban will still apply to users under 16 in Australia.
– A YouTube spokesperson in an email to Reuters, July 2025
Is YouTube a social media platform?
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Up to a degree.
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No, it's something different.
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I'm just glad that TikTok is banned.
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