Accordingly, in a letter to Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells, senior leaders of Google and YouTube in Australia said they are considering legal options if YouTube - a platform owned by the company - is banned by Canberra for children under 16 years old, under the first ban on social media in the world issued by the country.
The content of the article, published in newspapers owned by News Corp Australia, clearly explained that YouTube is a video streaming platform, not social media, and the ban on YouTube is not in accordance with the provisions of the Australian Constitution.
It is known that the ban will take effect in December 2025, social networking platforms Meta (owners of Facebook, Instagram), TikTok and Snapchat will have to take "reasonable measures" to prevent children under 16 from creating or accessing social media accounts.
Initially, the Australian Government decided not to remove YouTube from the list because it thought the platform had a lot of useful content about education and health. However, in June 2025, Australia's leading online safety consultant, who is also a member of the country's Electronic Safety Commission, proposed not to exempt any platform. This has created great pressure for the government to reconsider the decision with YouTube.
Speaking on Seven Network TV channel on July 28, Minister of Social Services - Tanya Plibersek affirmed that the government "will do everything to ensure the safety of Australian children".
This tough statement shows the Australian government is ready to confront technology corporations, in the context of parents and experts increasingly concerned about the negative impact of social networks on the mental health and behavior of adolescents.
In March 2025, representatives of Meta, TikTok and Snapchat also submitted a petition, opposing the Australian government's exemption of YouTube, saying it was biased and undermined policy goals.
Under the ban, platforms that allow children under 16 to access after the law comes into effect will face fines of up to 50 million AUD (equivalent to 32.8 million USD).
