- YouTube to comply with Australia’s new social media ban for under-16s
- New law requires parental consent for teen users
- Privacy Concerns Rise With Age Verification Methods
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 big tech company to line up before the world’s first law comes into effect.
The legislation, which goes into effect on December 10, requires social media companies to take “reasonable steps” to verify the ages of users and remove children 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 PakGazette, YouTube now joins a growing list of platforms, including Meta (Facebook and Instagram), TikTok, Snapchat and X, that are preparing to enforce age restrictions. 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 pledged to uphold 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 teens are expected to look for ways to circumvent the ban.
The privacy risks of age verification
At the center of the controversy are the “age guarantee” technologies that platforms will have to implement. These methods could include facial scanning, user behavior analysis, or requiring users to upload a sensitive government-issued ID. Critics argue that creating centralized databases with such sensitive information creates a gold mine for scammers and hackers.
These concerns are amplified by the ambiguity of the law, which asks companies to take “reasonable measures” without clearly defining what that entails. As platforms rush to comply, they may adopt increasingly invasive techniques, compromising the data of all Australian users, not just children.
In response to these growing privacy concerns, many users may turn 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. While primarily a privacy tool, its location spoofing capabilities have led many to wonder if VPNs could be used to bypass the new age rules.
A digital game of cat and mouse
The Australian government has already stated that it hopes platforms will “prevent under-16s from using VPNs” to circumvent the ban. This creates a significant technical hurdle for businesses, as effectively identifying and blocking VPN traffic is very difficult.
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.”
Additionally, a sudden change in a user’s digital location is a major red flag. If an account has a long history of access 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 may be a significant erosion of digital privacy for everyone. The long-term impact of this landmark legislation on Internet freedom and user safety remains to be seen.
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