Australian Communications Minister Exempts YouTube from Youth Ban

Australian Communications Minister Michelle Rowland gave a personal guarantee to the global head of YouTube that the platform would be exempt from the country’s social-media ban for under-16s, even before an official consultation process on the special carveout, according to documents obtained under freedom-of-information laws. YouTube’s exclusion from the looming Australian restrictions has angered rivals including Meta Platforms Inc. and Snapchat-operator Snap Inc.