Australia Adds YouTube to Under-16 Social Media Ban

Australia has added Alphabet-owned YouTube to its forthcoming prohibition on social-media use by children under 16, reversing an earlier exemption for the video platform. The measure, part of legislation passed last year, comes into force on 10 December and already covers services such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. The government acted on advice from eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, whose latest survey found that 37 percent of Australians aged 10-15 had encountered harmful content on YouTube—the highest share among major platforms. Companies that fail to block under-age users will face penalties of up to A$49.5 million (US$32.2 million). In a separate report, the watchdog accused YouTube and Apple of “turning a blind eye” to online child-sex-abuse material and of not disclosing how many user complaints they receive. YouTube said it proactively removes more than 99 percent of such material before it is flagged and will “continue working with the government” on safety standards. Facing mounting regulatory scrutiny worldwide, YouTube has begun testing artificial-intelligence tools in the United States that estimate a viewer’s age and bar under-18s from restricted content. The company said the system forms part of a broader effort to strengthen online protections for teenagers.