Social media bans for kids are quickly becoming the global legislation trend of the moment.
Children under 16 are finding themselves at the center of political conversations, with countries including Australia, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Austria, and Indonesia, and more attempting to wrangle Big Tech companies’ hold on young people’s attention.
Online age verification laws are taking shape by the month, with governments citing the need to address issues including child sexual exploitation, cyberbullying, self-harm, and the impact on kids’ mental health, as well as “addictive” design, violent content, and porn. However, these laws have also come under severe criticism for efficiency and their impact on digital privacy and free speech.
Plus, kids are already finding ways around them.
So, where are we at, globally? Which countries have followed Australia’s example and are rolling out their own social media bans? Here’s the list, alphabetically, and incidentally starting with the one who started it all.
Australia
The first to do it, Australia set a global precedent in Dec. 2025 with its world-first social media ban for children under 16. The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act requires social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X, and Snapchat to implement age verification and take “reasonable steps” to prevent kids under 16 from creating accounts. However, a July 2026 study by Australian government advisors found the ban so far ineffective.
Plus, Reddit is suing.
Austria
Following in Australia’s footsteps with fewer letters, in March 2026, Austria announced a bill to ban social media use for children under 14. With a draft planned for completion by summer, Austria’s legislation would also add a new compulsory subject, “Media and Democracy,” to school curriculums to boost awareness of “how to recognise disinformation and radicalisation.”
Brazil
Brazil’s social media ban, the Digital Statute of Children and Adolescents, came into force in March 2026. The law requires kids under 16 to link their social media accounts with a legal guardian, and tech platforms must add age verification for users wanting to access adult content. It also means social media platforms must limit “features designed to artificially increase, sustain, or extend” time kids spend on the platforms, including automatically playing videos.
Canada
Canada is set to ban users under 16 from holding social media accounts, with a proposed law announced by the Canadian government on June 11, 2026. The Safe Social Media Act will enforce age verification to access online services and legally mandated safety requirements for social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. But Canadian law will also apply to companies that use AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude.
Denmark
Denmark is planning a social media ban for kids under 15, announced back on Oct. 8, 2025, by the country’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen. According to the Associated Press, the law could arrive in 2026, but there’s no date or details yet. Reports also suggest parents could allow their children to use social media from the age of 13.
European Union
An EU-wide social media ban for kids under 13 could be coming, announced July 13, 2026. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission (the EU’s executive body), presented a report on online safety for children, which recommended age-appropriate restrictions on platforms (the EU has launched its own age verification app), parental supervision for social media use, and the insistence that digital platforms “must prove that their services do no harm.”
But it won’t just be social media that’s impacted. As Mashable’s Anna Iovine reports, it could apply to “other digital services such as AI companions, video-sharing platforms, and video games.”
France
France is ready to approve its social media ban for kids under 15, with the government reaching a compromise on the bill on July 20, 2026. Once it’s through, France will be the first European country to officially enact such a ban. According to Le Monde, the social media ban will block under-15s from creating new accounts as of Sept. 1, and in Jan. 2027, all existing accounts will come under the law.
Germany
Germany hasn’t yet rolled out a social media ban, but the government is considering it.
Greece
Greece plans to ban social media for kids under 15, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announcing the proposed law on April 8, 2026. In a TikTok video, translated by the BBC, Mitsotakis cited sleep issues and anxiety in children caused by “the pressure to always be online,” and he criticized “the addictive design of certain applications.” If passed, the measure will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027, and the PM said age verification is also needed.
Indonesia
Indonesia announced it would ban social media for children under 16 on March 6, 2026. As reported by the BBC, the country’s minister of communication and digital affairs, Meutya Hafid, said anyone under 16 with an account on a “high risk” online platform would see it deactivated by the end of March, naming “YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live, and Roblox.”
Malaysia
Malaysia has banned social media for under-16s, with communications minister Fahmi Fadzil announcing the Online Safety Act 2025 (ONSA) in Nov. 2025. The law came into force on Jan. 1, 2026, but it really got started on June 1, 2026. As NBC News reports, requires social media companies to add age verification and to prohibit kids under 16 from creating accounts on platforms with at least 8 million users (that means YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook). The law also requires social media companies “to limit features that increase, sustain, or extend” kids’ online time.
Poland
Poland is looking to ban kids under 15 from social media, with Education Minister Barbara Nowacka announcing plans on Feb. 26, 2026. Yes, that would mean age verification on social media sites and big fines for companies not enforcing them.
Slovenia
Slovenia is set to ban social media access for kids under 15, with draft legislation announced by Deputy Prime Minister Matej Arčon on Feb. 5, 2026.
Spain
Spain announced plans to ban social media for children under 16 on Feb. 3, 2026, with the country’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, promising to “protect them from the digital Wild West.” The proposed bill, which still needs to be passed by parliament, will hold social media companies (including their executives) liable for “illegal or harmful content” existing on their platforms. “We will turn algorithmic manipulation and amplification of illegal content into a new criminal offence,” Sánchez said at the World Governments Summit in Dubai in February.
Thailand
Thailand hasn’t announced a social media ban yet, but there’s a lot of discussion about it.
Turkey
Turkey passed a bill on April 23, 2026, that blocks kids under 15 from accessing social media platforms. According to the Associated Press, which cited state media reports, the law will require age verification on social media, rapid responses by companies to “harmful” content, and expanded parental controls.
United Kingdom
The UK confirmed an impending social media ban for under-16s on June 15, 2026, following the rollout of age verification in the country in July 2025 (it’s kind of working?). The government explicitly said it “plans to use the same model for a social media ban as Australia,” with the intention of broadening the law to cover other platforms, including livestreaming and gaming sites.
The UK is also considering overnight curfews for teens aged 16 and 17 and blocking infinite-scroll mechanisms for kids.
This story is developing and will be updated as laws are proposed and passed.
Source: https://mashable.com/tech/social-media-ban-children-countries-list
