An AFP tally shows five of those countries have restrictions in place. Below are facts about the measures in other countries.

Restrictions in place

Banning social media for under-16s is a fact of life in Australia since December 2025.

In March, Brazil enacted a law that will force platforms to connect children younger than 16 with their parents’ accounts and to verify users’ age.

Since 2019, the government, which has a tight grip on the country’s internet landscape, has been gradually restricting minors’ access to social media in China. 

Early restrictions placed time limits and curfews on online gaming, followed in 2023 by the same time limits and curfews for social media and streaming services.

Since March, social media for under-16s has been banned in Indonesia.

Malaysia has done something similar, as its law went into effect in June, cutting out under-16s from big platforms.

Turkey plans to follow suit following the country’s law banning under-15s from social media in April. The law will come into effect in late 2026.

Last month the UAE announced that it would be banning social media for minors under 15, with implementation to take place in around a year’s time

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Restrictions announced

The European Commission is to propose later this year that EU member states ban young children (under 13) altogether and gradually allow access to the 13 to 18 age group.

In early April, the Greek government said it would be prohibiting social media for those under 15 from 1st January 2027 within the bloc.

Legislation to ban under-14s and under-15s in Austria and Slovenia, respectively, is also in preparation.

In Germany, where Chancellor Friedrich Merz backs limiting or even blocking social media for children, an expert commission has suggested two alternatives: a ban by age or specific restrictions for the social networks.

The same discussion is taking place in Sweden, where a government commission has suggested a change in the law to ban social media for minors aged under 15 by early 2028.

The government of Denmark announced in October 2025 that it will propose restricting use of “several social media platforms” for users under 15.

The Irish government has threatened to pass legislation if the EU doesn’t reach a decision.

In the non-EU area, the Norwegian government will be introducing legislation at the end of this year to prohibit access for anyone under age 16.

The former Prime Minister Keir Starmer hopes to ban social media use by anyone under 16 by early 2027.

The minimum age for social media use is also set to be raised to 16 in Canada.

Multiple States in India are mulling some bans for children, and the Government stated they were discussing measures with platforms.

Bills in parliament

Deputies and senators reached a compromise on a proposal to ban social media for children under 15, which is set for a vote in France’s parliament on Tuesday.

The lower house approved the bill at first reading in January but the Senate later added some restrictions, narrowing it to the most harmful platforms, a move that raised eyebrows in Brussels.

The government is hoping it can be put into effect this September. It would create for France “the first country in Europe to have a ‘digital legal age'”, said Digital Minister Anne Le Henanff.

Portugal is proposing to introduce a bill to raise the age to independently use platforms, services, games and applications to 16 years.

The Spanish government has suggested that the age to register online on a social networking site be increased from 14 to 16.

Legislation is being discussed in Italy which would prohibit children under 15 years old from using social media.