Countries move to ban social media for children

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The European Union unveiled proposals on Wednesday to ban social media for children under 13, as a growing number of countries look to restrict children’s access to the platforms following a global backlash.

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More than 20 countries around the world have now taken steps to block or restrict children going online on social media, according to an AFP tally.

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Seven have measures already in place or set to be implemented, with their policies targeting children under the age of 15 or 16.

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Australia was the first country to introduce a blanket ban on social media for under-16s, at the end of 2025.

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The US state of California has also recently moved to tighten restrictions on minors’ access to social media.

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Under plans unveiled Wednesday by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen in the European Parliament, the bloc will also only allow limited, supervised access until the age of 15, after months of considering ways to protect minors from features designed to keep users hooked.

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– Restrictions in place –

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Social media has been banned for under-16s in Australia since December 2025.

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However the ban so far appears to have been widely circumvented by teenagers, according to data released in August.

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Brazil began implementing measures in March requiring platforms to link the accounts of users aged under 16 to those of their parents, while also requiring platforms to verify users’ ages.

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In China, where the internet is tightly regulated by the state, minors’ access to social media has been restricted progressively since 2019.

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Initial measures imposed time limits and curfews on online gaming, before similar restrictions were extended in 2023 to social media and streaming platforms.

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Indonesia has banned social media for under-16s since March.

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Malaysia has taken a similar approach, with legislation coming into force in June excluding under-16s from major platforms.

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Turkey is set to join the list after passing legislation to bar under-15s from social media in April.

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The law is expected to take effect in late 2026.

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The United Arab Emirates announced a ban on social media for under-15s last month, with implementation set for around in a year’s time.

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The governor of the US state of California, Gavin Newsom, signed around a dozen laws on September 10 aimed at protecting children online, including one banning platforms from offering addictive features to under-16s. The law will take effect in early 2027.

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– Restrictions announced –

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Across the 27-nation EU, the Greek government announced in early April that it intends to ban social media access for under-15s from January 2027.

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In Germany, where Chancellor Friedrich Merz supports restricting or even banning social media for children, an expert commission has proposed two options: gradual restrictions by age, or platform-specific restrictions.

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Austria and Slovenia are also preparing legislation to prohibit access for under-14s and under-15s, respectively.

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A similar debate is under way in Sweden, where a government commission has proposed banning social media for under-15s by early 2028.

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In Denmark, the government announced in October 2025 that it would propose banning “several social media platforms” for under-15s.

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The Irish government has warned that it is considering legislating in the absence of an EU decision.

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Outside the EU, the Norwegian government will present a bill by the end of the year to ban access for those under 16.

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Britain is looking to ban social media for under-16s by early 2027 under a measure planned by its former prime minister, Keir Starmer.

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A curfew would also be implemented for children aged 16 and 17 as part of the plan.

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Canada unveiled a bill on June 10 that would also set the minimum age at 16.

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New Zealand followed Australia’s lead in August with a bill that would ban social media platforms from offering their services to under-16s.

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– Bills in parliament –

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In Portugal, lawmakers from the ruling right-wing party introduced a bill in February that would set the age of “digital majority” at 16 for independent access to social media platforms, online services, games and apps.

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In Spain, a bill unveiled in March 2025 and now under consideration would raise the minimum age for opening a social media account to 16.

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Italy is also considering legislation that would ban social media for under-15s.

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In France, parliament approved legislation this summer to ban social media for under-15s, but the Constitutional Council, the country’s highest constitutional authority, struck it down on freedom-of-expression grounds.

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President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to introduce a new “legally robust” law by spring 2027.

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