Google has warned that Australia’s forthcoming ban on social media for under-16s will be nearly impossible to enforce and could backfire by removing key safety features for young internet users.
Google has expressed serious doubts about Australia’s upcoming social media ban for under-16s.
The tech giant is warning lawmakers that the legislation — billed as one of the toughest in the world — will be “extremely difficult to enforce” and could have unintended consequences for online safety.
Set to take effect on December 10, the new law prohibits children under 16 from creating or maintaining accounts on platforms such as Facebook, X, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, which is owned by Google.
Companies found violating the rule could face penalties of up to 50 million Australian dollars.
Speaking before an Australian Senate committee, Rachel Lord, Google and YouTube’s senior manager of public policy in the country, said the company shared the government’s goal of protecting young people online but argued that the ban was “well-intentioned” yet flawed.
She said: “The legislation will not only be extremely difficult to enforce, it also does not fulfill its promise of making kids safer online. The solution to keeping kids safer online is not stopping them from being online.”
Lord warned that the restrictions could inadvertently make the internet less safe for young people by forcing them to access platforms anonymously, without the safety features available through logged-in accounts.
She explained: “The risks of children accessing YouTube without being able to log in to their own accounts means that safety controls and filters put in place for younger users will no longer be usable.”
YouTube’s protective measures — such as limited recommendations, disabled autoplay, and restrictions on personal advertising — apply only to verified child accounts. The legislation could also prevent parents from supervising what their children watch through parent-managed profiles, Lord added.
Australia’s eSafety Commission argues the law is designed to shield minors from harmful social media pressures, including exposure to unrealistic beauty standards and online harassment.
But experts warn that enforcing such age restrictions at scale could prove nearly impossible without mass data collection — a move that could itself raise privacy concerns.
Google doubts that Australia’s teen social media ban can be enforced
