YouTube has warned that Australia’s new laws banning under-16s from its platform could make children less safe, as the regulations would remove parental controls. From 10 December, the social media ban for under-16s will take effect, meaning children will still be able to watch videos but will not have accounts. This change will prevent parents from supervising their teen or tween’s account, including adjusting content settings or blocking channels.

Communications Minister Anika Wells described YouTube’s warning as “outright weird,” saying that if the platform itself acknowledges it is unsafe for children, that is a problem the company needs to address.

The warning comes as the eSafety Commissioner has begun examining two smaller apps, Lemon8 and Yope, which have become increasingly popular among teenagers. The government reversed an earlier exemption for YouTube in July, with the eSafety Commissioner noting it is the platform most often cited by children aged 10 to 15 for encountering harmful content.

YouTube said it will comply with the new law but argued it undermines more than a decade of work building protections and parental controls that families rely on for a safer experience. Rachel Lord, public policy senior manager at Google and YouTube Australia, stated that the law would not make children safer and could, in fact, have the opposite effect. She added that parents and educators shared these concerns and described the legislation as rushed and not reflective of how young Australians use the platform.

Under the new law, anyone under 16 will be automatically signed out of their YouTube account. This will prevent them from uploading content or posting comments. The ban does not apply to YouTube Kids. Default wellbeing settings, such as reminders to take breaks or go to bed, will no longer function for children, as they only work for account holders.

Lord also criticized the law for failing to allow adequate consultation and consideration of the complexities involved in regulating online safety. Google has reportedly considered launching a legal challenge against the inclusion of YouTube in the ban.

In a speech a week before the ban takes effect, Wells acknowledged that there may be initial difficulties but said regulation and cultural change take time. She highlighted that children today have constant access to smartphones and social media, which exposes them to algorithms and notifications that can capture their attention for hours. She described this as a “dopamine drip” and compared it to behavioral manipulation.

Tech companies will be required to report every six months on the number of accounts they hold for under-16s. Companies that fail to comply could face fines of up to A$49.5 million. They must deactivate existing accounts, block new ones, and prevent workarounds. Other platforms affected by the ban include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, Threads, Reddit, and Kick.