The Albanese Government has reversed it’s decision to exempt YouTube from the national social media ban.

Initially, YouTube was not included in the original ban, however the inclusion of the platform comes after pressure from the eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant. Recent research showed that 37% of young people have seen harmful content on YouTube, the largest number of all platforms included in the bill. 

YouTube has criticized the new change, claiming their platform is not a social media, but a video sharing platform.

Specifically, children and teens under 16 will not be able to post content or create YouTube accounts. They will still be able to watch videos when logged out.

Other major platforms that fall under the ban are Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and X. 

Since the bill’s announcement last year, many experts have expressed concern of the enforceability over the bill, and how the government is going to educate young people to improve digital literacy.

The ban is set to come into effect in December.

Produced By: George Pople

Featured In Story: Tama Leaver – Professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University and Chief Investigator at the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, , Joanne Orlando – Associate Professor at Western Sydney University , and

First aired on The Wire, Wednesday 30 July 2025