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From Australia to Europe, countries move to curb children's social media access
Here's what countries and tech companies are doing to regulate access to social media
- PUBLISHED: Tue 27 Jan 2026, 9:54 PM UPDATED: Wed 4 Feb 2026, 9:30 AM
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- Reuters
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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 is being closely watched by other countries considering similar age-based measures, with Britain and France being the latest to signal such plans, as concerns mount over social media's impact on children's health and safety.
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Below is a summary of what countries and tech companies are doing to regulate access to social media.
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Australia
A landmark law passed in November 2024 forced major social media platforms to block minors younger than 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 ($34.3 million).
Britain
Britain is considering an Australia-style ban on social media to better protect children online, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on January 20.
The government did not specify an age threshold, but said it was considering a ban "for children under a certain age", and whether the current digital age of consent was set too low.
Spain
Spain wants to prohibit social media for under-16s, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on February 3. He also said his government would create a law to hold social media executives personally responsible for hate speech on their platforms.
Sanchez said prosecutors would explore ways to investigate possible legal infractions by Elon Musk's Grok, as well as by TikTok and Instagram, part of Meta.
The proposed ban would be implemented as part of a change to an existing bill on digital protection for minors being debated in parliament, according to a government spokesperson.
About 82 per cent of Spaniards said they believed children under 14 should be banned from social media, according to a 30-country Ipsos poll on education published last August. That was up from 73 per cent in 2024.
Spain joins five other European countries that Sanchez dubbed the "Coalition of the Digitally Willing" to coordinate and enforce cross-border regulation, Sanchez said, without naming the countries, set to hold their first meeting in the coming days.
Greece
Greece is "very close" to announcing a social media ban for children aged under 15, a senior government source told Reuters on Tuesday.
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 allowing parents to give exemptions for youngsters down to the age of 13 to access certain platforms.
A majority of parties in the parliament said they would back the plan ahead of a formal vote.
France
France's National Assembly on January 26 approved legislation to ban children under 15 from social media amid growing concerns about online bullying and mental health risks. The bill still needs to pass through the Senate before a final vote in the lower house.
Germany
Minors between the ages of 13 and 16 are allowed to use social media only if their parents provide consent. But child protection advocates say controls were insufficient.
India
India's leading tourist state Goa is weighing restrictions on children's access to social media akin to the ban adopted in Australia, the state's infotech minister said on January 27.
Italy
In Italy, children under the age of 14 need parental consent to sign up for social media accounts, while no consent is required from that age upwards.
Malaysia
Malaysia said in November it would ban social media for users under the age of 16 starting from 2026.
Norway
The Norwegian government in October 2024 proposed raising the age at which children can consent to the terms required to use social media to 15 years 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.
The US
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act prevents companies from collecting personal data from children under 13 without parental consent. Several states have also passed laws requiring parental consent for minors to access social media, but they have faced court challenges on free speech grounds.
EU Legislation
The European Parliament in November agreed on a resolution calling for a minimum age of 16 on social media to ensure "age-appropriate online engagement".
It also urged a harmonised EU digital age limit of 13 for social media access and an age limit of 13 for video-sharing services and "AI companions".
The resolution is not legally binding.
Tech industry's own regulation
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, however, and official data in several European countries shows huge numbers of children under 13 have social media accounts.
