World News for Students of English

28-11-2025 07:00

Australia’s planned social media ban for children under 16, starting December 10, is pushing local content creators to consider moving abroad, as their incomes are severely threatened.

Experts estimate the law, which requires platforms to block over a million accounts, could cause a significant drop in advertising revenue and views, hitting YouTubers particularly hard since they rely on ad revenue and view counts.

Creators like Jordan Barclay, whose company generates gaming content for 23 million subscribers, are planning to leave because they cannot afford to run a business if advertisers exit the Australian market. This sentiment is shared by family vloggers and child influencers, whose careers are particularly at risk and who view immigration as an easy decision to continue their work.

Although teens can still watch YouTube, the ban means the platform’s algorithm will no longer drive traffic to popular posts, reducing interaction and sponsorship deals. Smaller creators with mainly domestic audiences will be hit hardest. Many creators feel they are facing reputational harm from the government’s characterization of YouTube’s content as harmful, even though some provide high-quality material for children.

Difficult words: revenue (the total amount of money a company or person earns from selling goods, services, or, in the case of a content creator, from ads and sponsorship), sentiment (a feeling, opinion, or attitude towards a particular idea, situation, or person), reputational (relating to the widespread belief about someone or something), characterization (the way something or someone is described, especially in an official document, speech, or media).

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