Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban Takes Effect Amid Global Shift

By Ahmad Idzwan Arzmi

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 (Bernama) -- Countries worldwide are adopting similar age-based restrictions or stringent parental-consent requirements for minors, while Australia’s new law officially takes full effect on Wednesday (Dec 10).

Denmark plans to ban social media for children under 15, although access will still be permitted from age 13 with explicit parental consent.

The move follows Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s call last November for tighter social media restrictions for children amid concerns about youth mental health.

Norway is moving in a similar direction, having announced plans for a new law setting a minimum age of 15 for social media access.

The draft would define which platforms are covered and make clear that the goal is to shield children from harmful content, commercial exploitation and data misuse, while still recognising their rights to expression and information.

Last June, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would push for European Union regulation to ban social media for under-15s after a school stabbing incident in the country.

Its parliamentary commission has also recommended a full ban on social media for under-15s and an overnight 'digital curfew' for 15 to 18-year-olds.

In Spain, a draft law to protect minors in the digital environment would raise the minimum age to open a social media account from 14 to 16 years and require explicit authorisation from parents or legal guardians for anyone under that age.

Some countries have opted for parental consent rather than outright bans.

In Germany, children under 16 must obtain parental consent to use social media services.

In the United Kingdom, new safety rules known as the Children’s Code, introduced in July 2025 under the Online Safety Act, require social media platforms to prevent minors from encountering illegal and harmful content.

Online companies face substantial fines or even jail time for executives if they fail to implement measures.

At the European Union, the Parliament in November adopted a non-binding resolution calling for a bloc-wide minimum age of 16 for social media access, with 13 to 15-year-olds allowed on platforms only with parental consent, and for limits on addictive design features such as infinite scrolling and autoplay for younger users.

New Zealand’s government, led by its Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, has backed a Social Media (Age-Restricted Users) Bill modelled on the Australian approach, which would bar under-16s from holding social media accounts.

Other countries have also tried to introduce strict age-based limits but faced backlash.

In the United States, several states have attempted to bar minors under 18 from using social media without parental consent, but many of these laws have faced constitutional and free speech challenges in court.

Critics of age-based bans warn that they may be technically challenging to enforce, could push teenagers toward virtual private networks (VPNs) or less-regulated platforms, and raise new privacy concerns due to the need to collect and store sensitive identity data. 

As Australia's ban takes effect for its own under-16 rule, policymakers worldwide are closely watching whether these pioneering measures can meaningfully reduce online risks without cutting young people off from vital social connections and information.

-- BERNAMA