Australia has become the world’s first nation to ban social media for children under the age of 16, preventing them from using social media platforms such as TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube, and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook.
The ban is being closely watched by other countries considering similar age-based measures, as concerns mount as to the effects of social media on the health and safety of children.
Below is an overview of what other countries and tech companies are doing regarding their access to social media.
Australia
A landmark law passed in November 2024 forces the blocking of minors younger than the age of 16 years starting from Wednesday on major social media platforms, one of the world’s toughest laws that target major tech platforms.
Companies that do not comply could be penalised up to A$49.5 million ($32.8 million).
Britain
The Online Safety Act imposes tougher requirements on social media platforms, including age restrictions to prevent the use of social media platforms by minors in order to see harmful content.
The law was passed in 2023, and from this year, enforcement began. No age limit for access to social media has been set.
China
China’s cyberspace regulator has established a so-called “minor mode” programme where there are device-level restrictions and app-specific rules to limit screen time based on age.
Denmark
Denmark announced last November that it would be banning social media from children under 15, with exemptions for parents who allow their youngsters to use certain sites down to the age of 13.
A majority of parties in Parliament expressed their support for the plan before an official vote.
France
In 2023, a law was passed in France, which stated that social platforms must obtain parental consent for underage minors under 15 to have an account. But, as local media reported, it has been slowed down by technical challenges as it strives to be enforced.
Germany
Minors between the ages of 13 and 16 are only permitted to use social media with the consent of their parents. But controls are not enough, child protection advocates say.
Italy
In Italy, children under the age of 14 require the consent of their parents for their social media account signups, and above that age, no consent is required.
Malaysia
Malaysia said in November it would ban the use of social media for users under the age of 16 beginning next year.
Norway
The Norwegian government in October 2024 proposed that it increase the age for children to be 15 years old from 13 in order to agree to the terms required to use social media, although parents will still be allowed to sign off on their behalf if they were below the age limit.
The government has also started work on legislation to establish an absolute minimum age limit of 15 for using social media.
The US
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act blocks companies from collecting personal information from children under age 13 without parental consent.
Several states also have enacted legislation that requires parental consent to use social media for minors, and these laws, too, have been challenged in the courts for violating free speech rights.
EU legislation
The European Parliament in November agreed on a resolution that calls for the age of 16 as the minimum age on social media in order to save “age-appropriate online engagement.”
It also called for a harmonised EU digital age limit of 13 for the access of social media, and an age limit of 13 for video-sharing services and “AI companions”.
The resolution is not legally binding.
Tech’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 show huge numbers of children under 13 have social media accounts.
