Google Warns Australia's Digital Duty of Care Bill Puts Gmail Access for Under-18s at Risk

Google has warned Australian lawmakers that the country's proposed Digital Duty of Care legislation could force the company to block users under 18 from Gmail.

Rachel Lord, policy head for YouTube in Australia and New Zealand, raised the concern at a Senate hearing on November 9, saying age check provisions in the bill would reach email, messaging, and private file storage.

Lord described the possible result as "intrusive monitoring within private communications or file storage." The provisions in question require age checks where children risk encountering pornography.

What the Digital Duty of Care Bill Requires

The government introduced the bill on October 15. It requires online service providers to take reasonable steps to keep Australians safe, with extra protections for users under 18. Penalties reach up to AU$109.2 million (about $75.40 million), according to the government's description of the legislation.

The bill also includes these measures:

• tools that let users choose whether algorithmically recommended content appears in their feeds
• powers for the eSafety Commissioner to issue removal notices for nudify apps and websites
• a 24 hour response requirement for cyberbullying and abuse complaints
• minimum standards for platform complaint processes

The bill has passed the House of Representatives and needs cross-party support to pass the Senate.

Meta, TikTok, and Snap Raise Objections

Google was not the only company to push back. Meta, TikTok, and Snap warned that giving regulators broad discretion over harmful content could lead platforms to remove too much material in order to avoid penalties.

The bill follows Australia's ban on social media for users under 16, which took effect on December 10, 2025, and made Australia the first country to introduce such a restriction. Reddit is challenging that ban in court, calling it "ill thought out" and "inept" and arguing that Reddit is not a social media platform.

Nothing changes for Gmail users in Australia yet. The bill is not law, and Google has not announced any change to Gmail accounts for minors. Families and schools that rely on Gmail for students under 18 should follow the Senate vote, since an age check requirement on email would affect account access rather than a single feature.

Google has not said how it would verify ages in Gmail or whether school managed accounts would be treated differently if the bill passes in its current form.