A committee of experts is raising recommendations on Monday to the European Commission regarding the possibility of imposing a ban on children's use of social media in the 27 European Union countries, as part of a plan to regulate children's access to these applications, after similar measures were adopted or proposed in more than 20 countries around the world.

Among the 20 countries counted by AFP, restrictions on social media have taken effect in five countries.

In most of these countries, the measures are recent and target children under 15 or 16 years of age.

Countries imposing restrictions

Social media has been banned for children under 16 in Australia since December 2025, while Brazil enacted a law in March requiring platforms to link accounts of users under 16 to their parents' accounts, in addition to requiring them to verify user ages.

In China, where the internet is subject to strict government censorship, gradual restrictions on minors' access have been imposed since 2019.

The initial Chinese measures imposed time limits and a ban on electronic games, before similar restrictions were extended in 2023 to include social media and live streaming platforms.

Indonesia banned the use of social media for those under 16 since March, while Malaysia passed similar legislation in June preventing this age group from using major platforms.

Turkey is expected to join the list after enacting legislation in April that prohibits those under 15 from using social media. The law is expected to take effect in late 2026.

The UAE announced last month a ban on social media for children under 15, with the decision to be implemented in about a year.

Countries intending to impose restrictions

Within the European Union, the Greek government announced early April its intention to ban the use of social media for children under 15, starting January 1, 2027.

Both Austria and Slovenia are also preparing to enact legislation banning the use of social media platforms for children under 14 and 15 respectively.

In Germany, where Chancellor Friedrich Merz supports imposing restrictions or even a ban on children's use of social platforms, a committee of experts proposed two options: either a gradual age-based ban or platform-specific restrictions.

A similar discussion is underway in Sweden, where a government committee proposed banning social media for children under 15 by early 2028.

The Irish government announced it is considering enacting legislation if no decision is made by the European Union.

In Denmark, the government announced in October 2025 that it would propose a ban on "several social media platforms" for children under 15.

Outside the EU, the Norwegian government will present a bill by the end of the year to ban social media use for children under 15.

The United Kingdom aims to ban social media use for children under 16 by early 2027.

Canada also intends to set a minimum age of 16 for using platforms.

Several states in India are considering imposing restrictions on children's use of social platforms, while the central government announced it is holding discussions with platforms on possible measures.

Measures under consideration

The French parliament is currently discussing a proposal to ban social media use for children under 15.

The National Assembly had approved the bill in first reading in January, before the Senate introduced amendments to limit it to the most harmful platforms, which raised concerns at the European Union.

The final version of the legislation is expected to be adopted in the coming weeks, with it taking effect in September, according to the government's hopes.

Portugal is studying a bill that sets the age of access to platforms, services, games, and applications without parental consent at 16.

Spain has proposed raising the minimum age for registering on social media from 14 to 16.

In Italy, parliament is studying a bill banning social media use for children under 15.

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