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TikTok has strongly criticized the Australian government for what it sees as an unfair exemption granted to YouTube in the country’s new digital regulations. The short-form video platform argues that excluding Google-owned YouTube from a sweeping crackdown—one that will prohibit children under 16 from most social media—creates an uneven playing field. The government’s decision to classify YouTube as a health and education service has sparked backlash, with TikTok calling it an “illogical, anti-competitive” move that fails to hold up under scrutiny.
This frustration isn’t unique to TikTok. Other social media giants, including Meta (which owns Facebook and Instagram) and Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, have also voiced concerns, arguing that YouTube’s exemption undermines the government’s stated goal of protecting young users. However, TikTok has been particularly vocal in its discontent, highlighting the striking similarities between YouTube’s short-form content and its own. The company warns that this carve-out could set a precedent for other countries, potentially shaping future regulations on digital platforms worldwide.
With the new law set to take effect by late 2025, platforms are bracing for significant changes. Social media companies will be tasked with enforcing the under-16 ban, facing hefty penalties for noncompliance—though the specifics of age verification remain uncertain. The stakes are high, as this restriction could cost platforms millions of young users, a demographic highly valued by advertisers. For now, TikTok, Meta, and Snap appear to share a common objective: ensuring that if regulation is inevitable, it should apply to all platforms equally.
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