- YouTube to comply with Australia’s new social media ban for under 16s
- The new law requires parental consent for teenage users
- Privacy concerns are growing as age verification methods grow
YouTube has confirmed it will comply with Australia’s controversial new social media ban, which will require the platform to prevent users under 16 from accessing its service. The video-sharing giant is the latest major tech company to fall into line ahead of the world-first law taking effect.
The legislation, which begins on December 10, mandates that social media companies must take “reasonable steps” to verify the age of users and remove those under 16 who do not have parental consent. Platforms that fail to do so could face staggering fines of up to A$50 million. The move follows what the Australian government has described as a “moral imperative” to protect children online.
As first reported by Pakinomist, YouTube now joins a growing list of platforms, including Meta (Facebook and Instagram), TikTok, Snapchat and X, that are preparing to enforce the age restrictions. Just last month, the government expanded the list to include Reddit and the streaming service Kick, signaling a broad crackdown on online services popular with younger audiences.
While the platforms have committed to upholding the law, the methods of doing so have sparked significant backlash. Privacy advocates and cybersecurity experts are sounding the alarm about the security risks associated with mass data collection, and many teenagers are expected to look for ways to circumvent the ban.
Privacy risks with age verification
At the heart of the controversy are the “age insurance” technologies that platforms must implement. These methods may include facial scanning, analyzing user behavior, or requiring users to upload sensitive government-issued identification. Critics argue that creating centralized databases of such sensitive information creates a gold mine for fraudsters and hackers.
These concerns are compounded by the law’s ambiguity, which asks companies to take “reasonable steps” without clearly defining what that entails. As platforms rush to comply, they may employ increasingly invasive techniques that compromise the data of all Australian users, not just children.
In response to these growing privacy concerns, many users are turning to tools like the best VPN services to protect their data. A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts a user’s Internet connection and masks their real location, offering a layer of anonymity from corporate or government surveillance. Although primarily a privacy tool, its location-spoofing ability has led many to question whether VPNs could be used to circumvent the new age-gate rules.
A digital cat-and-mouse game
The Australian government has already stated that it expects platforms to “stop under-16s from using VPNs” to avoid the ban. This creates a significant technical hurdle for businesses, as it is notoriously difficult to identify and block VPN traffic.
Social media companies will likely try to blacklist IP addresses associated with VPN servers, but providers can quickly deploy new ones, leading to a constant game of cat-and-mouse.
Also, a sudden change in a user’s digital location is a big red flag. If an account has a long history of being accessed from Australian IP addresses, a sudden switch to a US or UK based server is unlikely to fool the platform’s detection systems.
As the December 10 deadline approaches, both social media platforms and their users are entering uncharted territory. The government hopes to create a safer online environment for children, but the cost could be a significant erosion of digital privacy for everyone. The long-term impact of this landmark legislation on internet freedom and user security remains to be seen.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
