YouTube has confirmed it will comply with the federal government’s teen social media ban and will boot all Australian users under 16 out of signed-in accounts from December 10.

The video platform said under‑16s will be automatically signed out and barred from logging in next week, meaning no subscriptions, likes, playlists or default wellbeing tools such as “Take a Break” and bedtime reminders.

Parents will also lose access to supervised accounts and granular content controls for teens and tweens, although the separate YouTube Kids app will remain untouched.

Creators under-16 will also be locked out of uploading or managing channels, with their content effectively hidden until they turn 16, though videos and data will be preserved or downloadable via Google Takeout.

“This is a disappointing update to share,” YouTube’s senior manager of public policy for Australia and New Zealand Rachel Lord wrote in a blog post.

“We deeply care about the safety of kids and teens on our platform; it’s why we spent more than a decade building robust protections and parental controls that families rely on for a safer YouTube experience. But as we have consistently said, this rushed regulation misunderstands our platform and the way young Australians use it.

“Most importantly, this law will not fulfil its promise to make kids safer online, and will, in fact, make Australian kids less safe on YouTube. We’ve heard from parents and educators who share these concerns.

“Even as the ban comes into effect next week, we will continue to work with the Australian government to advocate for effective, evidence-based regulation that actually protects kids and teens, respects parental choice, and avoids unintended consequences.”