Australian content creators looking abroad after teen social media ban
11/24/2025 8:56:00 AM
Australia is home for YouTube star Jordan Barclay, the place where he was born, went to school and built a company worth $50 million by age 23 that produces gaming content for 23 million subscribers.
Now, with a world-first social media ban on Australian children younger than 16 set to take effect on December 10, he is thinking of leaving his Melbourne studio and moving abroad.
"We're going to move overseas because that's where the money is going to be," said Barclay, whose seven YouTube channels include EYstreem, Chip and Milo, and Firelight.
"We can't afford to keep doing business if advertisers leave Australia."
Nine participants interviewed by Reuters in Australia's social media industry, estimated to generate annual revenue of A$9 billion ($5.82 billion), did not put a dollar figure on the ban's impact but agreed it could lead to a drop in advertisers and views.
YouTubers, who get paid 55% of ad revenue and up to 18 Australian cents per 1,000 views, could be hit hardest, said social media researcher Susan Grantham at Griffith University.
"If it is one clean sweep and all these accounts disappear, then instantaneously, it's going to be detrimental to the influencer economy."
The law requires companies to block the accounts of more than a million people under the cut-off age, punishing "systemic breaches" with penalties of up to A$49.5 million.
While teenagers can still watch YouTube without an account, the site's algorithm will fail to drive traffic to popular posts, reducing views.
Equally, creators on YouTube, TikTok and Meta's (META.O), opens new tab Instagram stand to lose earnings through promotions if the number of their followers fall, Grantham said.
Advertisers are also on edge about campaigns targeting younger audiences, said Stephanie Scicchitano, general manager at Sydney-based talent agency Born Bred Talent.
Now, with a world-first social media ban on Australian children younger than 16 set to take effect on December 10, he is thinking of leaving his Melbourne studio and moving abroad.
"We're going to move overseas because that's where the money is going to be," said Barclay, whose seven YouTube channels include EYstreem, Chip and Milo, and Firelight.
"We can't afford to keep doing business if advertisers leave Australia."
Nine participants interviewed by Reuters in Australia's social media industry, estimated to generate annual revenue of A$9 billion ($5.82 billion), did not put a dollar figure on the ban's impact but agreed it could lead to a drop in advertisers and views.
YouTubers, who get paid 55% of ad revenue and up to 18 Australian cents per 1,000 views, could be hit hardest, said social media researcher Susan Grantham at Griffith University.
"If it is one clean sweep and all these accounts disappear, then instantaneously, it's going to be detrimental to the influencer economy."
The law requires companies to block the accounts of more than a million people under the cut-off age, punishing "systemic breaches" with penalties of up to A$49.5 million.
While teenagers can still watch YouTube without an account, the site's algorithm will fail to drive traffic to popular posts, reducing views.
Equally, creators on YouTube, TikTok and Meta's (META.O), opens new tab Instagram stand to lose earnings through promotions if the number of their followers fall, Grantham said.
Advertisers are also on edge about campaigns targeting younger audiences, said Stephanie Scicchitano, general manager at Sydney-based talent agency Born Bred Talent.