Australia Adds YouTube to Social Media Ban for Children under 16
澳洲將 YouTube 納入十六歲以下社群媒體禁令

The Australian government has announced it will ban children under 16 from using major social media platforms, including YouTube, starting this December. The government had originally promised to leave YouTube out of the ban. However, it changed its mind after a survey showed many children were exposed to harmful content on the platform. The new policy requires companies to block underage users, or they’ll face large fines. YouTube Kids, which already limits uploads and comments, will not be affected.

The decision follows a report by the eSafety Commissioner, which found that nearly 37% of underage YouTube users had viewed harmful content. Some people worry the ban could affect children who use social media to connect with others for support. Privacy experts have also raised concerns about how platforms will collect age data. Still, the government maintains that the measure is an important step to protect kids online, even if it is not perfect.

澳洲政府宣布，自今年十二月起，將禁止十六歲以下孩童使用主要社群媒體平臺，其中包括 YouTube。澳洲政府原先承諾不將 YouTube 納入禁令範圍。然而，一項調查顯示許多孩童在該平臺接觸到有害內容後，當局決定改變立場。新政策要求相關公司必須封鎖法定年齡以下的用戶，否則將面臨高額罰款。YouTube Kids 因為已經限制上傳內容與留言功能，將不受影響。

此項決策源於電子安全委員會的一份報告，報告指出將近 37% 的 YouTube 法定年齡以下用戶曾觀看過有害內容。有些人擔心這項禁令可能會影響那些使用社群媒體來與他人聯繫以尋求支持的孩童。隱私權專家也對平臺將如何蒐集用戶年齡資料提出疑慮。儘管如此，政府堅稱即使這項措施並不完美，它仍是保護孩童網路安全的重要一步… 閱讀完整內容