Minors social media bans
gain global momentum

Spain is the latest country to plan a social
media ban for children under the age of 16,
after Australia last year set a trend by restricting
juveniles from accessing some online content
creation platforms

Social media giants such as Meta – which operates
Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads,
and which is run by Mark Zuckerberg (right) –
oppose blanket bans on children in favour of app
store age verification and parental consent

WHO’S LOOKING TO BAN SOCIAL MEDIA?

Norway
Working on ban for
children under 15

Denmark
Says it will ban
children under 15

Germany
Those aged 13-16
need parents’ consent

UK
Considering
Australia-style ban

Italy
Children under 14
need parental consent

France
Working on ban for
children under 15

China
Uses Minor Mode to
restrict screen time
for differing ages

U.S.
Several
states have
laws requiring
parental consent
for minors, but face
free speech legal
challenges

India
Growing calls
for Australia-
style ban

Spain
Set to ban access
for those under 16

Greece
Close to
announcing
ban for
children
under 15

Malaysia
Ban on children
under age of 16
starts in 2026

Australia
Minors under 16
years banned

Tech Industry: Social media platforms including TikTok, Facebook and
Snapchat, say users need to be at least 13 to sign up, but official data from
several European countries shows huge numbers of children under that age
have social media accounts

Sources: Reuters, BBC
Illustration source: Getty Images
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