"Young people under 16 years old will not be allowed to have YouTube accounts," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on July 30.
Alphabet's video sharing platform was previously exempted from social media laws for adolescents in Australia because it was favored by teachers.
Last year, Australia was the first country to propose a ban on social media for adolescents to protect them from online harmful content.
Accordingly, in November 2024, the Australian government introduced a bill to ban children under 16 from using social media. This law is expected to take effect on December 10, 2025.
Major media companies could face fines of up to 49.5 million AUD ($32.2 million) if they do not take restrictive measures.
Social networks under the ban, such as Meta, Snapchat and TikTok's Facebook and Instagram, have opposed the proposal.
Australia's decision on July 30 could also be the start of a new conflict with Alphabet. The company has threatened to withdraw some of Google's services from Australia in 2021 in response to the law forcing Alphabet to pay news agencies for content appearing in search results.
