The regulator admits this won't prevent violent videos, but expresses appreciation for additional "obstacles."
Starting December 10th, Australia’s government intends to implement its new regulations under the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024. This act mandates that certain social media service providers must "take reasonable measures" to ensure minors below a specified age cannot create accounts.
The relevant minister has the authority under the Act to label social media platforms that should make efforts to prevent children from opening accounts. By the end of last November, the authorities had identified TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, Instagram, and X as definite candidates for oversight, though they noted this roster serves only as a starting point.
The minister at that time, Michelle Rowland, vowed not to utilize the Act’s authority to oversee "messaging platforms, online games, and services that mainly work towards supporting user health and education."
As a result, the government intended to exclude YouTube from regulation, which many people considered odd.
In Australia's May 2025 elections, the ruling party was re-elected. Following this, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese named a new minister to handle the Act—Anika Wells MP—and she reached out to eSafety for guidance on effectively implementing the legislation.
The eSafety Commission successfully provided the recommendations, which suggested that YouTube should come under the regulation of the Act.
Google vehemently opposed eSafety's guidance, contending that YouTube offers substantial material beneficial for younger audiences. They pointed out that the legislation was enacted without acknowledging that the video streaming platform might come under regulation.
esafety responded with the following:
E safety commissioner Julie Inman Grant subsequently gave a talk where she presented new findings indicating that 70% of kids between the ages of 10 and 15 mentioned coming across "material linked to harmful experiences, such as being exposed to sexist or prejudiced content, risky internet trends, aggressive combat clips, and information encouraging unhealthy dietary habits."
Inman Grant highlighted that YouTube has apparently relaxed its content moderation practices and indicated these changes as grounds for reassessing which platforms fall under the purview of the Act. Additionally, she emphasized that AI applications are currently posing risks to children, implying that Australia might have to impose regulations on those technologies as well.
Inman Grant likewise alerted Australians that under the new rules, children can continue using YouTube both at home and school—as long as they log in through an account set up by a grown-up.
This implies that children may still come across inappropriate material.
Inman Grant acknowledged that the Act might end up being ineffective and conceded that it "won't fix every issue," yet he also stated that "it will introduce some friction into the system" which aids in decreasing the harm inflicted by online platforms.
The Commissioner additionally pointed out that Australia’s laws have ignited discussions about safeguarding children online in other countries as well.
"And let me assure you, they are all clamoring to learn about how Australia intends to move this ambitious regulatory measure ahead," she stated during her address.
Other countries might also be monitoring Australia's attempts to figure out how technology firms can assess the age of users trying to create new accounts, since as we covered last week, tests have shown that this approach is promising yet highly problematic.