GDANSK, Aug 26 (Reuters) – Australia in December became the world’s first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking them from platforms including TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook.
Meta will pay up to $18 billion to resolve claims by U.S. states that Facebook and Instagram are designed to keep young users hooked, ending one of the highest-profile tests of allegations that social media companies harm children.
Below is a summary of what countries and companies are doing to regulate access to social media amid mounting concerns over the impact of social media on children’s health and safety.
AUSTRALIA
A landmark law forced major social media platforms to block minors under 16 from December 10, 2025, one of the world’s toughest regulations targeting major tech platforms.
Companies that fail to comply could face penalties of up to A$49.5 million ($34.9 million).
BRITAIN
Britain plans to approve a ban on social media for under-16s by Christmas, with the measure set to take effect around Spring 2027, former Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on June 15.
Big tech firms operating in Britain must stop children circulating nude images on their phones or they will face legislation forcing them to do so, Starmer said on June 8.
Under the plans, firms like Apple and Google would have to build or activate technical solutions on smartphones and tablets to detect and block nude images for children. Adults would still be able to take, share or view nude content through an age-verification process.
CHINA
China’s cyberspace regulator has put in place a so-called “minor mode” programme that requires device-level restrictions and app-specific rules to restrict screen time, depending on age.
DENMARK
Denmark said in November it would ban social media for children under 15, while parents could provide access to certain platforms to kids down to the age of 13.
FRANCE
France’s top court on August 14 blocked a bill banning social media access for under-15s, saying it infringed upon freedom of expression.
France’s parliament had approved the ban in July amid growing concerns about online bullying and mental health risks.
GERMANY
Minors aged 13 to 16 are allowed to use social media only if their parents provide consent. Child protection advocates say controls are insufficient.
GREECE
Greece is “very close” to announcing a social media ban for children under 15, a senior government source told Reuters on February 3.
INDIA
India’s chief economic adviser called for age restrictions on social media platforms in January, describing them as “predatory” in how they keep users engaged online, two days after tourist state Goa said it was weighing restrictions akin to Australia’s.
ITALY
Children under 14 need parental consent to sign up for social media accounts, while no consent is required above that age.
MALAYSIA
Malaysia has begun barring those under 16 from registering accounts on social media platforms, its communications regulator said on June 1.
NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is proposing a ban on children under 16 using social media, with fines of up to 10% of a platform’s global revenue for non-compliance.
The proposed legislation would require social media platforms to take reasonable steps to verify users’ ages, including by utilising existing account information, facial technology and digital identity documents.
NORWAY
The Norwegian government in 2024 proposed raising the age at which children can consent to the terms required to use social media to 15 from 13, although parents would still be permitted to sign off on their behalf if they are under the age limit.
The government has also begun work on legislation to set an absolute minimum age limit of 15 for social media use.
POLAND
Poland’s ruling party is preparing new legislation to ban social media for children under 15 and to hold platforms responsible for age verification, it said on February 27.
SLOVENIA
Slovenia is drafting a law that would prohibit children under 15 from accessing social media, Deputy Prime Minister Matej Arcon said on February 6.
SPAIN
Spain will push ahead with new rules to make social networks and AI safer despite intense lobbying from the tech industry, Digital Transformation Minister Oscar Lopez told Reuters in May.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had said in February that Spain would ban access to social media for minors under 16, with platforms required to implement age verification systems.
SWEDEN
Sweden should introduce a minimum age of 15 for the use of social media, a government-appointed commission recommended on June 2.
A ban can be formulated in a way that the platforms would be responsible for age verification, investigator Lisa Englund Krafft told a news conference with Social Affairs and Public Health Minister Jakob Forssmed.
TURKEY
Turkey’s parliament on April 24 passed legislation banning the use of social media by children under 15 and introducing new rules for digital platforms, including game software companies.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
The United Arab Emirates on June 18 approved a resolution setting the minimum age for social media use at 15, the government’s media office said, making it the first Arab country to introduce such a measure.
The resolution prohibits children under 15 from creating or using personal social media accounts and restricts their access to the platforms’ full features.
UNITED STATES
Meta will pay the $18 billion over the next decade and strictly limit how teenagers use Facebook and Instagram, under an agreement with nearly all U.S. states announced on Wednesday to resolve claims it designed those social media platforms to addict children.
U.S. legislation aimed at forcing social media companies to do more to protect children and teenagers cleared a key political hurdle after Republican Senator Ted Cruz said on May 12 he would support the bill.
Cruz said at an event in Washington that he would back the Kids Online Safety Act, which would require social media companies to “exercise reasonable care” in designing features that contribute to harm to minors, according to the bill.
The legislation is separate from the long-standing Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which prevents companies from collecting personal data from children under 13 without parental consent. Several states have passed laws requiring parental consent for minors to access social media, but they have faced court challenges on free speech grounds.
EU LEGISLATION
On May 12, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union would seek stronger protections for children from harmful social media features.
Von der Leyen said the Commission would target “addictive and harmful design practices” in its Digital Fairness Act, a planned law due to be proposed later this year, while an expert panel prepares advice on how to proceed.
The European Parliament in November agreed on a resolution calling for an EU-wide ban on access for children under 16 to online platforms, video-sharing sites and AI companions without parental consent and an outright ban for those younger than 13.
TECH INDUSTRY
Social media platforms including TikTok, Facebook and Snapchat say people need to be at least 13 to sign up.
Child protection advocates say the controls are insufficient, and official data in several European countries shows huge numbers of children under 13 have social media accounts.
(Compiled by Christine Chen in Sydney, Canan Sevgili, Hugo Lhomedet, Paolo Laudani and Lucie Barbier in Gdansk and Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak, Bernadette Baum, Matt Scuffham and Joyjeet Das)
Comments