Country Tracker

Children and Social Media: What Every Country Is Doing

Last updated: 23 April 2026 · 25 countries & regions

Governments around the world are introducing age restrictions on social media for children. This tracker follows every country that has passed a law, been granted powers to act, introduced legislation, or formally announced plans. Updated every week.

4 Law in force
1 Powers granted
10 Bills in progress
10 Proposed
Law in force · 4 countries
🇦🇺 Australia Updated
Under-16 social media ban — the first in the world. Platforms must take reasonable steps to prevent accounts for under-16s. eSafety Commissioner can issue fines of up to AU$49.5 million for non-compliance. March 2026 compliance report found significant gaps — around 3 in 10 parents reported their child no longer had an account, but substantial numbers of under-16s continued to hold or create new accounts. eSafety is now considering court action against Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube. A preliminary court hearing is set for 21 May 2026.
Court hearing: 21 May 2026
🇧🇷 Brazil
Digital ECA (Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente Digital) signed September 2025. Bans social media for under-14s and requires parental consent for 14–16s. Platforms must implement age verification.
In force: March 2026
🇲🇾 Malaysia
Under-16 ban on social media accounts. Platforms required to verify user age and deactivate accounts belonging to under-16s.
In force: 1 Jan 2026
🇮🇩 Indonesia
Age-gated approach: under-13s limited to children’s platforms only; 13–15s restricted to lower-risk platforms; under-16s banned from high-risk platforms including YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox. Accounts deactivated from 28 March 2026. VPN circumvention reported within days of enforcement.
In force: 28 March 2026
Powers granted · 1 country
🇬🇧 United Kingdom Updated
MPs voted 256–150 on 15 April 2026 to reject — for the second time — a Lords amendment that would have imposed a direct under-16 social media ban. The government’s alternative stands: Science Secretary Liz Kendall has powers to restrict or ban children’s access to social media and chatbots via secondary legislation. Ofcom wrote to YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat on 17 April 2026 demanding compliance reports by 30 April, covering age verification, stranger contact restrictions, and safer content for teens. Consultation open until 26 May 2026.
Ofcom deadline: 30 April 2026
Bills in progress · 10 countries
🇫🇷 France
Under-15 social media ban passed the National Assembly 27 January 2026 (130–21). The Senate adopted its own version on 31 March 2026, introducing a two-tier system: a blacklist of platforms deemed dangerous (maintained by regulator ARCOM) would be outright banned for under-15s, while other platforms would require parental consent. The two chambers must now reconcile their versions before a final vote.
Senate vote: 31 March 2026
🇩🇰 Denmark
Parliamentary agreement reached November 2025. Legislation expected mid-2026. Government launching a “digital evidence” app to support age verification.
Agreement: Nov 2025
🇳🇴 Norway
Consultation closed October 2025. Legislation to raise the social media age limit from 13 to 15 is expected to be introduced to parliament.
Consultation closed: Oct 2025
🇵🇹 Portugal
Parliament approved legislation in February 2026. Details of age threshold and implementation timeline to be confirmed.
Parliament approved: 12 Feb 2026
🇪🇸 Spain
Prime Minister announced under-16 ban in February 2026. Proposed legislation also includes criminal liability for platform executives over hate speech. Parliamentary approval required.
Announced: Feb 2026
🇸🇮 Slovenia
Deputy Prime Minister announced plans to prohibit under-15s from accessing social media platforms including TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram. Legislation being drafted.
Announced: 6 Feb 2026
🇬🇷 Greece
Prime Minister Mitsotakis announced an under-15 social media ban on 8 April 2026 — notably via a message posted on TikTok. The ban takes effect 1 January 2027. Mitsotakis then wrote to the European Commission calling for an EU-wide age restriction with mandatory verification across all member states.
Announced: 8 April 2026
🇺🇸 US Federal
KIDS Act (including SAFEBOTs Act on AI chatbot safety and AWARE Act) passed House Energy & Commerce Committee 5 March 2026, heading to full House vote. COPPA 2.0 passed Senate Commerce Committee the same week. Updated COPPA Rule compliance deadline reached 22 April 2026 — for the first time, separate parental consent is now required before companies can use children’s data to train AI models.
COPPA deadline: 22 April 2026
🇺🇸 US State Level
~78 AI chatbot safety bills active across 27 states. Oregon and Idaho chatbot bills signed into law April 2026. Tennessee signed law banning AI from presenting as mental health professionals. Massachusetts House passed a bill 129–25 on 8 April 2026 banning under-14s from social media and requiring parental consent for 14–15s, with an October 2026 effective date. Now returns to the Senate.
Active: April 2026
🇳🇿 New Zealand
Select committee final report published 6 March 2026 recommends an under-16 social media ban. Member’s bill entered the parliamentary ballot — requires a draw before it can progress.
Committee report: 6 March 2026
Proposed · 10 countries
🇩🇪 Germany
Expert committee studying options. Report expected autumn 2026. Chancellor Merz’s conservatives proposed under-16 ban in February 2026, but coalition partners expressed hesitation. Germany prefers an EU-coordinated approach.
Under review: 2026
🇵🇱 Poland
Ruling party announced plans for age restrictions on 27 February 2026. No legislation introduced yet.
Announced: 27 Feb 2026
🇫🇮 Finland
Prime Minister expressed support for restrictions in January 2026. No formal legislation announced.
Support expressed: Jan 2026
🇪🇺 European Union Updated
Digital Services Act enforcement ongoing. The EU’s age verification app — open-source, using zero-knowledge proofs so users prove their age without sharing ID — is now technically ready and rolling out across seven pilot countries: France, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, and Ireland. Snapchat is under formal DSA investigation. Four adult content platforms have been found in preliminary breach for failing to stop minors accessing content. Greece’s PM wrote to the Commission in April 2026 calling for an EU-wide social media age restriction with mandatory verification.
Age verification app: April 2026
🇧🇪 Belgium (Flanders)
The Flemish regional government announced a decree on 3 April 2026 introducing a legally binding minimum age of 13 for social media platforms deemed harmful to minors. Platforms including TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram will be required to implement age verification. Flanders’ governing coalition rejected calls for a higher 15 or 16 age limit.
Announced: 3 April 2026
🇨🇳 China
“Minor mode” technical framework limits children’s access and screen time on domestic platforms. Not a social media ban — applies to Chinese apps only.
Framework: ongoing
🇲🇽 Mexico
Government consultations launched. Proposals expected June 2026. No legislation introduced yet.
Consultation: 2026
🇦🇹 Austria
Three-party governing coalition announced agreement in principle on 27 March 2026 to ban social media for under-14s. Digitisation Minister Alexander Pröll said draft legislation will be drawn up by end of June 2026. The ban will target platforms using “addictive algorithms” and will be defined by criteria rather than a named platform list. No consensus yet between coalition partners on verification method.
Announced: 27 March 2026
🇮🇹 Italy
Bill in the Senate since May 2024. Has not progressed to a vote. No law yet.
Bill stalled: since May 2024
🇮🇳 India
Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh announced state-level restrictions in March 2026. Central government signalling a national law with a three-tier age approach: 8–12, 12–16, and 16–18.
State announcements: March 2026