Social bans on minors, which countries have them and which are about to introduce them

In recent months several countries have announced or are preparing measures to limit access to social media to minors. The stated objective is to reduce risks and pressures associated with early use of platforms: cyberbullyingdynamics of dependenceimpacts on mental health and exposure to predators. The debate also heated up on two other issues: on the one hand the privacybecause age verification risks requiring invasive checks and a collection of sensitive data; on the other, the fear that the State will spread its hand too much, imposing bans and rules perceived as a form of censorship.

Criticism also comes from organizations such as Amnesty Techwrites Tech Crunch, according to which the bans would be ineffective and would not take into account the digital habits of the new generations. In short, what happens if boomers or millennials decide for Z or Alpha? Despite this, various capitals are moving forward with proposals or legislative processes.

Australia is the first country to ban social media under 16s

Australia led the way: in December 2025 it became the first country in the world to ban social media under 16 years of ageblocking access to platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and others. They do not fall within the perimeter WhatsApp e YouTube Kids. The government requests that they be the companies to prevent access to minors, with checks based on multiple methods and not on self-certification of age alone. In case of non-compliance they are foreseen fines of up to A$49.5 million (approximately 34.4 million US dollars). Then it was the turn of the New Zealand,promoter of a law that prohibited access to social networks to those under 16.

Legislative initiatives in Asia and Europe

The Malaysia indicated in November 2025 its intention to ban social media for children under 16, with implementation expected in 2026. In Europe, the Denmark aims for a ban under 15 years of age: the rule could become law by mid-2026. The ministry for digital affairs is also working on age verification tools.

In Francedeputies approved a proposal to ban social media children under 15 years oldsupported by President Emmanuel Macron as a measure against excessive time spent in front of a screen. In Germaniathe hypothesis of a ban under 16 years of age is being discussed. Also Greece e Slovenia are preparing laws to prohibit access to social media by minors under 15 years of age, in particular regulating networks where content is shared and citing platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat e Instagram.

In Spaina plan has been announced to ban social media under 16s, and a rule is also being considered to make platform managers personally responsible in case of hate speech. In the United Kingdomfinally, the government is considering a ban under 16 years of age and the possibility of imposing on the platforms limitation or removal of “compulsive” functionslike it infinite scroll.