After months of anticipation and debate, Australia’s social media ban is now in drive.
Younger Australians beneath 16 should now come to grips with the brand new actuality of being unable to have an account on some social media platforms, together with Instagram, TikTok and Fb.
Solely time will inform whether or not this daring, world-first experiment will succeed. Regardless of this, many international locations are already contemplating following Australia’s lead.
However there are different jurisdictions which might be taking a unique method to attempt to preserve younger individuals protected on-line.
Right here’s what’s taking place abroad.
A worldwide motion
In November, the European parliament known as for the same social media ban for beneath 16s.
The President of the European Fee, Ursula von der Leyen, mentioned she has been finding out Australia’s restrictions and the way they handle what she described as “algorithms that prey on children’s vulnerabilities”, leaving dad and mom feeling powerless in opposition to “the tsunami of big tech flooding their homes”.
In October, New Zealand introduced it could introduce related laws to Australia’s, following the work of a parliamentary committee to look at how greatest to handle hurt on social media platforms. The committee’s report might be launched in early 2026.
Pakistan and India are aiming to cut back kids’s publicity to dangerous content material by introducing guidelines requiring parental consent and age verification for platform entry, alongside content material moderation expectations for tech corporations.
Malaysia has introduced it should ban kids beneath 16 from social media beginning in 2026. This follows the nation requiring social media and messaging platforms with eight million or extra customers to acquire licenses to function, and use age verification and content-safety measures from January 2025.
France can be contemplating a social media ban for kids beneath 15 and a 10pm to 8am curfew for platform use for 15- to 18-year-olds. These are amongst 43 suggestions made by a French inquiry in September 2025, which additionally beneficial banning smartphones in faculties, and implementing against the law of “digital negligence for parents who fail to protect their children”.
Whereas France launched a requirement in 2023 that platforms get hold of parental consent for kids beneath 15 to create social media accounts, it has but to be enforced. That is additionally the case in Germany. There, kids aged between 13 and 16 can solely entry platforms with parental consent, however with out formal checks in place.
And, in Spain, the minimal age for social media accounts will rise from 14 to 16, except dad and mom present consent.
Norway introduced plans in July to limit entry to social media for beneath 15s. The federal government defined the legislation could be “designed in accordance with children’s fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, access to information, and the right to association”.
In November, Denmark introduced it could “ban access to social media for anyone under 15”. Nevertheless, in contrast to Australia’s laws, dad and mom can override the principles to allow 13- and 14-year-olds to retain platform entry. But there isn’t any date for implementation, with lawmakers anticipated to take months to move the laws.
It’s additionally unclear how Denmark’s ban might be enforced. However the nation does have a nationwide digital ID program that could be used.
In July, Denmark was named as a part of a pilot program (with Greece, France, Spain, and Italy) to trial an age verification app that may very well be launched throughout the European Union to be used by grownup content material websites and different digital suppliers.
Some pushback
The implementation of comparable restrictions shouldn’t be being taken up in every single place.
For instance, South Korea has determined in opposition to a social media ban for kids. However it should ban the usage of cellphones and different gadgets in school rooms beginning in March 2026.
Within the metropolis of Toyoake (south-west of Tokyo, Japan), a really totally different answer has been proposed. Town’s mayor, Masafumi Koki, issued an ordinance in October, limiting the usage of smartphones, tablets, and computer systems to 2 hours per day for individuals of all ages.
Koki is conscious of Australia’s social media restrictions. However as he defined:
If adults usually are not held to the identical requirements, kids won’t settle for the principles.
Whereas the ordinance has confronted backlash, and is non-binding, it prompted 40% of residents to mirror on their behaviour, with 10% decreasing their time on smartphones.
In america, the opposition to Australia’s social media restrictions has been extraordinarily vocal and vital.
American media and know-how corporations have urged President Donald Trump to “reprimand” Australia over its laws. They argue American corporations are being unfairly focused and have lodged formal complaints with the Workplace of US Commerce.
President Trump has acknowledged he would stand as much as any international locations that “attacked” American know-how corporations. The US just lately known as eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant to testify in entrance of Congress. US Republican Jim Jordan claimed her enforcement of Australia’s On-line Security Act “imposes obligations on American companies and threatens speech of American citizens”, which Inman-Grant strongly denied.
The world will preserve watching
Whereas a lot of the world appears united in concern in regards to the dangerous content material and algorithmic options kids expertise on social media, just one factor is obvious – there isn’t any silver bullet for addressing these harms.
There isn’t a agreed set of restrictions, or particular age at which legislators agree kids ought to have unrestricted entry to those platforms.
Many international locations outdoors Australia are empowering dad and mom to supply entry, in the event that they imagine it’s proper for his or her kids. And lots of international locations are contemplating how greatest to implement restrictions, in the event that they implement related guidelines.
As consultants level to the technical challenges in imposing Australia’s restrictions, and as younger Australians take into account workarounds to take care of their accounts or discover new platforms to make use of, different international locations will proceed to observe and plan their subsequent strikes.
Lisa M. Given, Professor of Data Sciences & Director, Social Change Enabling Affect Platform, RMIT College
This text is republished from The Dialog beneath a Artistic Commons license. Learn the unique article.
