From Australia to Europe, countries move to curb children's social media access

In recent months, numerous countries have implemented or proposed measures to regulate children's access to social media platforms. Australia was the first nation to ban social media for users under 16, taking effect in December 2025. Britain, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States have either banned or are working to ban social media for children under a certain age, with varying age limits.

Some countries, like New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates, have set the minimum age at 16, while others, such as the United States, have agreed to pay billions of dollars to address concerns over the addictive nature of social media for young users.