GDANSK, May 13 (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.

The ban comes amid mounting concerns over the impact ofsocial media on children’s health and safety.

Below is a summary of what countries and ​companies are doingto regulate access to social media.

A landmark law forced major social media platforms to blockminors under 16 from December 10, 2025, one of the world’stoughest regulations targeting major tech platforms.

Companies that fail to comply could face penalties ‌of up toA$49.5 million ($34.9 million).

BRITAINBritain is considering an Australia-style ban ‌on social mediaand tighter AI chatbots safety rules for children under 16 asearly as this year, technology minister Liz Kendall said.

China’s cyberspace regulator has put in place a so-called”minor mode” programme that requires device-level restrictionsand app-specific rules ⁠to restrict screen time depending ⁠on age.

Denmark said in November it would ban social media for children under 15, while parents could provide access to ​certainplatforms to kids down to the age of 13.

France’s National Assembly in January approved legislation to ban children under 15 from social media amid growing concernsabout online bullying and mental health risks. The bill needs topass through the Senate before a final vote in the lower house.

Minors aged 13 to 16 are allowed to use social media only iftheir parents provide consent. But child protection advocatessay controls are insufficient.

Greece is “very close” to announcing a social media ban forchildren under 15, a ​senior government source told Reuters onFebruary 3.

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 ⁠daysafter ⁠tourist state Goa said it was weighing restrictions ⁠akinto Australia’s.

Children under the age of 14 need ​parental consent to signup for social media accounts, while no consent is required abovethat age.

MALAYSIAMalaysia said in November it would ban social media for usersunder the age of 16 ​starting from 2026.

The Norwegian government in October 2024 proposed raisingthe ⁠age at which children can consent to the terms required touse social media to 15 from 13, although parents would still bepermitted to sign off on their behalf if they are under the agelimit.

The government has also begun work on legislation to set anabsolute minimum age limit of 15 for social media use.

Poland’s ruling party is preparing new legislation to ban social media for children under 15 years of age and to hold platforms responsible for age verification, it said on February 27.

Slovenia is drafting a law that would prohibit children under 15 from accessing social media, Deputy Prime Minister Matej Arcon said in a news conference on February 6.

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

In ⁠February, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had said Spain will ban access to social media for minors under 16 and platforms will be required to implement age verificationsystems.

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.

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, opening the door to age limits for teenagers on platforms such as TikTok, Meta and X.

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 a minimum age of 16 on social media.

It urged a harmonised EU digital age limit of 13 for socialmedia access and an age limit of 13 for video-sharing servicesand “AI companions”.

Social media platforms including TikTok, Facebook andSnapchat say people need to be at least 13 to sign up.

Child protection ​advocates say the controls areinsufficient, and official data in several European countriesshows huge numbers of children under 13 have social mediaaccounts.

(Compiled by Christine Chen in Sydney, ​Hugo Lhomedet, Canan Sevgili, PaoloLaudani and Lucie Barbier in Gdansk; Editing by MillaNissi-Prussak, Bernadette Baum and Matt Scuffham)

Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.