Ever since Australia banned its young people from social media, governments across the globe have been considering following suit.
It comes amid mounting concerns over the impact of social media on children’s health and safety.
It’s been four months since under-16s in Australia were banned from using platforms including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram. While only one other country has since implemented a straight blanket ban, many have taken steps to regulate online platforms.
Here is a summary of which countries already have rules in place for social media, as well as those proposing a stricter ban.
Australia
Australia’s landmark law came into force on 10 December 2025. It forced 10 major social media platforms to block young people under 16 or face fines of up to AU$49.5m (£25m).
Australia’s eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the restrictions “aim to protect young Australians from pressures and risks that users can be exposed to while logged in to social media accounts”.
She added: “These come from design features that encourage them to spend more time on screens, while also serving up content that can harm their health and wellbeing.”
France
At the beginning of the year France’s National Assembly approved legislation to ban children under the age of 15 from social media amid growing concerns about online bullying and mental health risks.
On Tuesday the bill will be voted on in the Senate and, if it is passed, will go back to the lower house for a final vote.
If implemented, France would become the first European nation to implement a ban. It would be a step further than legislation which has been in place since 2018 that bans children from using mobile phones in colleges, which are attended by young people aged 11-15.
President Emmanuel Macron said the bill passing the National Assembly was a “major step” to protect French children and teenagers, but parties on the hard left criticised it as an “overly simplistic” response to the negative impacts of technology.
Former prime minister Gabriel Attal, who leads Mr Macron’s Renaissance party in the lower house, said he hoped the ban would be passed by the Senate for it to come into force on 1 September.
Britain
A social media ban for under-16s has been backed by the House of Lords in the UK.
Peers passed an amendment to the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill – a wide-ranging set of law proposals currently making its way through parliament.
At the beginning of March the government launched a consultation asking the British public how they want to protect young people online.
In addition to blocking younger teenagers from apps like TikTok and Instagram, measures including overnight social media curfews, restrictions to “addictive” features like infinite scrolling and autoplay, and blocks to stop children from using chatbots are also being considered.
Some of these elements will be tested in a trial period, the government announced on 25 March. This will involve 300 teenagers and aim to gauge the impact on children’s sleep, family life and schoolwork.
Austria
Austria’s three-party government announced on 27 March it will ban social media for children up to the age of 14.
Vice chancellor Andreas Babler and junior digitisation minister Alexander Proell said draft legislation for the law would be finalised by June.
Mr Proell said “technically modern methods” of age verification will be used that allow users to verify their age while respecting their privacy.
The Austrian government plans to accompany the ban with an effort to boost schools’ teaching of how to use media and deal with artificial intelligence.
However, before the law is even implemented, it will need parliamentary approval.
Spain
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, pledged in February that he would introduce an under-16 social media ban.
Mr Sanchez called social media the digital “Wild West”, and the under-16s ban is part of a raft of measures aimed at making children safer online.
The government has also asked prosecutors to investigate potential crimes committed by Meta, X and TikTok in connection with the possible creation and dissemination of child porn using AI.
It is unclear if the proposed ban would require approval by Spain’s highly fragmented lower house.
Denmark
Denmark said in October 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.
Announcing the legislation, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen accused mobile phones and social networks of “stealing our children’s childhood”.
She did not specify which social networks would be affected by the new measures.
Norway
The Norwegian government has launched a public consulation to ask for opinion on its proposal for a law that ban social media for under 15s.
It said services such as video games and platforms used for communication related to school or extracurricular activities will be an exception to the proposed law.
In Germany young people aged 13-16 are allowed to use social media only if their parents provide consent.
Greece is “very close” to announcing a social media ban for children under 15, a senior government source told Reuters in February.
Children under the age of 14 need parental consent to sign up for social media accounts in Italy, while no consent is required above that age.
Poland’s ruling party said on 27 February it is preparing new legislation to ban social media for children under 15 and to hold platforms responsible for age verification.
Portugal’s parliament approved a bill on 12 February requiring explicit parental consent for children aged 13 to 16 to access social media, with tech companies that ignore the restrictions facing fines of up to 2% of their global revenue.
Slovenia is drafting a law that would prohibit children under 15 from accessing social media, deputy prime minister Matej Arcon announced on 6 February.
Indonesia
On 28 March the government began to roll out a new regulation that bans children younger than 16 from accessing digital platforms that could expose them to pornography, cyberbullying, online scams and addiction.
The country’s communications minister, Meutya Hafid, said “high-risk platforms” include TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox.
Indonesia became the first country in southeast Asia to implement such a ban, with it affecting an estimated 70 million children.
Few platforms reacted to Indonesia’s new regulation.
The Indonesia online safety page for Elon Musk’s X states the minimum age to use the platform is 16 adding: “It’s not our choice – it’s what Indonesian law requires.”
While Google-owned YouTube said it supports the Indonesian government’s effort to create an effective, risk-based framework that addresses online harms while preserving access to information and digital opportunity.
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.
India
On 6 March the Indian state of Karnataka, home to the tech hub of Bengaluru, became the first state in the country to pass legislation banning social media for children under 16. It is unknown when the ban will take effect.
Neighbouring states of Goa and Andhra Pradesh are also weighing restrictions.
India’s chief economic adviser has previously called for age restrictions on social media platforms, describing them as “predatory” in how they keep users engaged online.
Malaysia
Malaysia said in November it would ban social media for users under the age of 16 starting from this year.
Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil previously said young people under 16 would not be allowed to open their own social media accounts, although parent-managed accounts would be allowed to reduce risks, such as contact from strangers, according to local newspaper Free Malaysia Today (FMT).
The ban is expected to be introduced as early as July, FMT reported.
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The US
In 2023 Utah became the first US state to require social media firms to get parental consent for children to use their apps and verify users are at least 18.
Several other states have since passed similar legislation, with all having faced court challenges on free speech grounds.
The country’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act also prevents companies from collecting personal data from children under 13 without parental consent.
Read more:
A social media ban isn’t cut-and-dried case
Is Australia’s social media ban working?
Brazil
On 17 March, Brazil’s Digital Statute of Children and Adolescents came into effect.
This requires young people under 16 to link their social media accounts to a legal guardian and bans addictive platform features such as infinite scrolling.
The law applies to any digital product that is likely to be accessed by anyone under the age of 18, including social media, games and apps.
