YouTube will prohibit registration for children under 16 years old

The Australian government has required YouTube to ban account registration for children under 16 years of age. This was reported by CNN. The government announced that YouTube, owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, will be subject to the same rules as other leading platforms, including Facebook, Instagram (owned by Meta, which is recognized as extremist and banned in Russia), Snapchat, TikTok, and X. The relevant law is expected to come into force in December this year.

According to the new regulations, social networks will be held responsible for not preventing children under 16 from creating accounts. In case of non-compliance with the requirements, platforms face a fine of almost 50 million Australian dollars (approximately 32 million US dollars).

A YouTube representative expressed disappointment with the authorities' decision, noting that it cancels the government's "clear public commitment" to consider the platform as an educational tool. The company said it would explore further steps and continue dialogue with the government. The ban will not affect the YouTube Kids service, as it does not allow users to upload videos and leave comments.

Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells compared the new measures to teaching children to swim in a safe environment rather than in the open ocean with sharks and strong currents. She emphasized that the government does not intend to give in to legal threats, as this is about the well-being of Australian children.

The decision to include YouTube in the list was made after the publication of a study by Australia's independent online regulator, the eSafety Commission. The survey showed that 37% of children encountered harmful content on this platform. Such content includes sexist and hateful materials, dangerous online challenges, videos with fights, as well as content promoting unhealthy eating habits.

Speaking in parliament, Wells said that YouTube uses the same "persuasive design technologies" as other social networks, such as endless scrolling, autoplay, and algorithmic feeds. According to her, children have no chance to resist these mechanisms, so the platform should not have special privileges.

The government also conducted tests of age verification technologies. A preliminary report showed that age verification can be carried out effectively and with respect for privacy, however, a universal and 100% reliable solution does not yet exist. The report also revealed that some platforms collect excessive user data, creating privacy risks.