In a blow to retailers and major brands targeting under 16 year old’s, YouTube is set to toe the Federal Government’s party line and comply with new regulations that will this target audience banned.

YouTube will lock out users under 16 from their accounts starting December 10, complying with Australia’s world-first teen social media ban despite initially being exempted for educational purposes.

The Google-owned platform announced the “disappointing update” to millions of Australian users and content creators on Wednesday, ending a stand-off with the federal government over its inclusion in the age restriction legislation.

“Viewers must now be 16 or older to sign into YouTube,” the company stated, adding that the law “will not fulfil its promise to make kids safer online and will, in fact, make Australian kids less safe on YouTube.”

Under-16 users will be automatically signed out and unable to subscribe, like, or comment on posts, though they can still view content while logged out.

Young content creators will lose the ability to post videos, with YouTube not disclosing its age verification methods.

The platform warned parents that existing parental controls only function when users are signed in, meaning safety settings will no longer apply to logged-out viewers.

Communications Minister Anika Wells responded to YouTube’s safety concerns, stating it was “weird that YouTube is always at pains to remind us all how unsafe their platform is in a logged out state,” adding that if the platform contains age-inappropriate content, “that’s a problem that YouTube needs to fix.”

The law carries penalties of up to $49.5 million for non-compliance.

Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat have already committed to compliance, while Elon Musk’s X and Reddit have not publicly confirmed adherence.

YouTube has 325,000 Australian account holders aged 13-15, behind Snapchat’s 440,000 and Instagram’s 350,000.

The eSafety Commissioner reports that more than one-third of Australians aged 10-15 have encountered harmful content on YouTube, the highest rate among major platforms.

The ban is being closely monitored internationally as jurisdictions consider similar age-based restrictions, potentially setting a global precedent for balancing child safety with digital access.