Australia passed a law banning social media for all people under 16 years old. Now, some of those companies — namely Meta, TikTok and Snap — are not happy at one exception: YouTube. Australia has deemed YouTube as a critical education tool and is allowing use,

Meta, TikTok, and Snapchat are challenging Australia's decision to exempt YouTube from its strict social media ban for users under 16, arguing that the platform poses similar risks and that regulations should be applied equally across all social media companies.

The federal government has been accused of making a "sweetheart deal" to exempt YouTube from the teen social media ban, as YouTube's competitors kick off a co-ordinated public campaign against the move.

The tech giants say carving out YouTube from a ban on social media for people under 16 would be like banning soft drinks for children but allowing Coca-Cola.

TikTok described the carve out as “illogical, anti-competitive and short sighted”. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Tech giants Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms, Snapchat and TikTok have urged Australia to reconsider a decision to exempt Alphabet's YouTube from its laws banning social media for children younger than 16.

Australia's plan to exempt YouTube from a world-leading teen social media ban is "illogical" and a "mockery", rival tech giants Meta and TikTok said Wednesday.