Governments from Australia to the United States are intensifying restrictions on minors' access to social media, with a variety of legal approaches taking shape - including outright bans, parental consent requirements, device-level controls and calls for platforms to deploy technical detection tools. The measures reflect widening concerns about the effect of social media on children’s safety and mental health, and place new compliance demands on social platforms and device manufacturers.
Australia implemented one of the most stringent approaches, enacting a law that requires major social media companies to block users under the age of 16 from accessing platforms such as TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook. The restriction came into force on December 10, 2025. Companies that fail to meet the new standard face fines of up to A$49.5 million, a financial exposure that raises the stakes for platforms operating in the Australian market.
In Britain, the government has signalled a similar move to restrict minors. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on June 15 that a ban on social media for under-16s is planned for approval by Christmas, with implementation expected around Spring 2027. Earlier in June, the prime minister outlined plans to require big technology firms to prevent children from circulating nude images on phones and tablets, warning that legislation would compel firms to act if voluntary steps are not taken. Under the announced proposals, companies such as Apple and Google would need to build or enable device-level technical measures to detect and block nude content for children, while adults could still access such content through an age verification process.
China has adopted a different approach focused on device and app settings. Its cyberspace regulator has implemented a so-called "minor mode" that enforces device-level restrictions and app-specific rules to limit screen time according to age categories. The policy sets technical guardrails at the device and application layers rather than an outright ban.
Across Europe, several national governments have moved or are considering steps to raise the minimum age for social media use. Denmark announced in November its intention to bar social media use for children under 15, while allowing parents to grant access to some platforms for children aged 13 and 14. France’s National Assembly approved legislation in January to ban children under 15 from social media; the bill still requires consideration by the Senate before a final lower-house vote.
Germany allows minors aged 13 to 16 to use social media only with parental consent, a framework that child protection advocates say falls short of what is required to protect young users. Greece, according to a senior government source, is close to announcing a ban on social media for children under 15. Poland’s ruling party is preparing legislation to prohibit social media for those under 15 and to place verification obligations on platforms, and Slovenia is drafting a law to bar access to under-15s. Spain has stated intentions to press forward with new rules to make social networks and artificial intelligence safer, with the prime minister saying in February that access for those under 16 would be restricted and platforms would be required to implement age verification systems.
Other European countries have proposed similar thresholds and verification responsibilities. Sweden’s government commission recommended introducing a minimum age of 15 for social media use on June 2, suggesting that platforms be responsible for age verification. Norway proposed raising the consent age from 13 to 15 in 2024 and is working on legislation to set an absolute minimum age of 15 for social media. Italy currently requires parental consent for children under 14 to sign up for accounts, while in Turkey parliament passed legislation on April 24 banning social media use by children under 15 and introducing new rules for digital platforms and gaming companies.
Outside Europe, Malaysia’s communications regulator said on June 1 that it has begun preventing under-16s from registering social media accounts. India’s chief economic adviser publicly called for age restrictions in January, describing platform practices as predatory in keeping users engaged; the statement followed consideration of measures in the tourist state of Goa akin to Australia’s. Greece, Poland and Slovenia have all signalled similar age-limit ambitions earlier in the year.
In the United States, federal and state-level efforts are also under way. A federal bill that would require social platforms to exercise "reasonable care" in designing features that can harm minors took a key political step when Republican Senator Ted Cruz said on May 12 he would back the Kids Online Safety Act. The measure is separate from the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which already bars companies from collecting personal data from children under 13 without parental consent. Meanwhile, several US states have enacted laws requiring parental consent for minors to obtain social media accounts; those laws have faced court challenges on free speech grounds, leaving the legal landscape unsettled in some jurisdictions.
At the European Union level, policy makers are preparing broader responses. On May 12, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the Commission intends to pursue stronger protections for children by targeting "addictive and harmful design practices" in a proposed Digital Fairness Act expected later in the year. Separately, the European Parliament voted in November in favor of a resolution calling for an EU-wide ban on access for children under 16 to online platforms, video-sharing sites and AI companions without parental consent, and an outright ban for those younger than 13.
Technology firms typically set a minimum sign-up age of 13 for their services. But child protection advocates argue that these controls are not enough. Official statistics cited by several governments signal that substantial numbers of children under 13 already have social media accounts, calling into question the effectiveness of existing age gates and verification processes.
The regulatory push has a number of implications for industry participants. Governments proposing or enacting bans or strict age limits are directly challenging the user acquisition models that have long underpinned social platforms. Requirements for device-level filtering or detection systems place new technical obligations on smartphone manufacturers and operating system providers, while platform-level verification responsibilities would raise compliance burdens for social media companies. Legislated fines and other penalties introduce clear legal and financial risks for firms that fail to comply.
Child protection groups, lawmakers and regulators are converging on the view that technical measures - whether device-based, app-level or platform-enforced - are necessary to limit children's exposure to harmful content. How quickly and effectively companies can implement robust age verification systems and detection tools remains an open question within the jurisdictions that have proposed or enacted new rules.
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As nations continue to evaluate and impose different regulatory frameworks, companies operating social platforms, smartphone manufacturers and age-verification service providers will likely face increasing compliance expectations. The policy landscape is patchwork by design at present, with variations in age thresholds, enforcement mechanisms and technical expectations across countries.
Summary - The international policy response to children's use of social media is accelerating. Measures under consideration or already enacted include full bans for certain age groups, parental consent requirements, device-level controls, obligations for platforms to detect specific content types and proposed EU legislation targeting design practices described as harmful. Regulators have signaled significant fines for noncompliance and are exploring both technical and legislative routes to protect minors.