Google concedes to compliance with the Social Media Ban for YouTube

Google has begun to share what under 16s will experience on YouTube when the Social Media Minimum Age legislation comes into effect next week on December 10th.

The language from Google across their blog post expresses Disappointment, and makes it clear they do not believe these changes will help keep kids safe online.

“This is a disappointing update to share. We deeply care about the safety of kids and teens on our platform; it’s why we spent more than a decade building robust protections and parental controls that families rely on for a safer YouTube experience. But as we have consistently said, this rushed regulation misunderstands our platform and the way young Australians use it. Most importantly, this law will not fulfill its promise to make kids safer online, and will, in fact, make Australian kids less safe on YouTube. We’ve heard from parents and educators who share these concerns.”

In reality, anyone can still watch any video on YouTube. The changes for viewers mean under 16s can no longer “sign in” to a YouTube account. This means no ability to like videos, subscribe to video, get recommendations based on previous watch history, no private playlists or memberships.

Additionally, any Under 16 with a YouTube Channel won’t be able to use it, and it will not be visible to other users.

Google also makes it clear that Parents will no longer be able to supervise their kids accounts, because this only works when they have accounts signed in.

Aside from the logisics of complying with the ban, Google took the time to make their position clear – “This law won’t keep teens safer online”

At YouTube, we believe in protecting kids in the digital world, not from the digital world. That’s why we’ve invested for more than a decade in consultation with child development experts to build age-appropriate products for our youngest users, like YouTube Kids, supervised experiences for teens and tweens, default wellbeing settings for all teens and robust parental controls. As the Social Media Minimum Age Act requires kids to use YouTube without an account, it removes the very parental controls and safety filters built to protect them—it will not make kids safer on our platform. These are the unfortunate consequences of a rushed legislative process that failed to allow for adequate consultation and consideration of the real complexities of online safety regulation.

The law also fundamentally misunderstands why teens come to YouTube in the first place. YouTube is a video streaming service where they come to watch and learn– everything from ‘how to tie a tie’ videos, to famous speeches, to newsmaking podcasts, to live concerts, to epic sports highlights. And increasingly, kids, teens and families are watching YouTube on television screens in their living room.

We are committed to finding a better path forward to keep kids safe online. We believe a more effective approach is one that empowers parents, rather than stripping away their choices, and allows kids to continue to derive the immense benefits of digital environments while protecting them from harm. Even as the ban comes into effect next week, we will continue to work with the Australian Government to advocate for effective, evidence-based regulation that actually protects kids and teens, respects parental choice, and avoids unintended consequences.

The ban kicks in Next week – make sure your kids are ready!