Australia’s Social Media Ban Sparks Global Crackdown on Children’s Access
Synopsis
Australia’s under-16 social media ban has been followed by growing efforts in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the US and EU to restrict children’s access.
Key Highlights
- Australia is the first nation in the world to prohibit social media for under-16s.
- The UK’s proposed ban on social media for under-16s will take place in approximately spring 2027.
- In Malaysia, Turkey and the UAE authorities have imposed or endorsed restrictions for under-15s or under-16s.
- The US and EU are exploring how to better defend children on the Internet.
In December, Australia announced it would bar children under 16 from using social media including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, the first country in the world to do so.
It comes at a time when countries are actually thinking about restricting due to fears as the influence of social media on children’s health and safety.
Australia and Europe Tighten Rules
On December 10, 2025, Australia’s law entered into force that forced the biggest social media sites to forbid users younger than sixteen. Businesses that do not comply may be fined A$49.5 million.
Britain expects social media for under 16s service to be. An Ed by Christmas, said former Keir Starmer.
Denmark has decided to outlaw social media for under-15s and in Germany children aged between 13 to 16 can only be on social media with parents’ consent. Spain wants new age verification rules, and Sweden’s government set up a commission that has recommended a minimum age of 15 for use of social media.
Restrictions introduced in Asia and Middle East
Malaysia has started preventing people over the age of 16 from registering social media accounts. The Turkish Parliament approved a ban on children under 15 on social media.
The UAE has announced a mandatory minimum social media age of 15, banning under-15s from opening or using personal accounts on social media platforms and limiting access for those younger than that to only very basic features.
More Countries Consider Age Limits
Meanwhile, Greece is near rolling out a ban on social media for kids younger than 15, and Italy has mandated that children under the age of 14 can only set up social media accounts with parental approval.
Norway intends to increase the age from 13 to 15 at which children can consent to social media terms and legislation is in preparation for a strict minimum age of 15.
Poland and Slovenia are preparing laws to prevent children under 15 from accessing social media at all. India’s chief economist has urged no age barriers.
Scope of US, EU-Wide Measures Explored
Standing Up For Kids In the U.S., one of the most important political hurdles for the Kids Online Safety Act has been cleared. The legislation would mandate that social media firms act with reasonable care when creating features that could lead to minors being harmed.
As part of this, it has targeted through its proposed Digital Fairness Act, classic addictive design, for entrenched social media platforms. The European Parliament has also wanted to see a EU-wide ban on access for under-16s without parental consent, and no access at all allowed for under-13s.
Most social media platforms (like TikTok, Facebook and Snapchat) don’t allow users to create an account until they’re 13 years old. Child protection experts say the safeguards that exist are inadequate, with statistics indicating hundreds of thousands of children under 13 have social media accounts.
Source: Reuters
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