Australia’s social media ban is now in force. Other countries are closely watching what happens

After months of anticipation and debate, Australia’s social media ban is now in force.

Young Australians under 16 must now come to grips with the new reality of being unable to have an account on some social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.

Only time will tell whether this bold, world-first experiment will succeed. Despite this, many countries^[1] are already considering following Australia’s lead.

But there are other jurisdictions that are taking a different approach to try and keep young people safe online.

Here’s what’s happening overseas.

A global movement

In November, the European parliament called for a similar social media ban for under 16s.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she has been studying Australia’s restrictions^[2] and how they address what she described as “algorithms that prey on children’s vulnerabilities”, leaving parents feeling powerless against “the tsunami of big tech flooding their homes”.

In October, New Zealand announced^[3] it would introduce similar legislation to Australia’s, following the work of a parliamentary committee to examine how best to address harm on social media platforms. The committee’s report will be released in early 2026.

Pakistan and India^[4] are aiming to reduce children’s exposure to harmful content by introducing rules requiring parental consent and age verification for platform access, alongside content moderation expectations for tech companies.

Malaysia has announced^[5] it will ban children under 16 from social media starting in 2026. This follows the country requiring social media and messaging platforms with eight million or more users to obtain licenses to operate, and use age verification and content-safety measures from January 2025.

France is also considering^[6] a social media ban for children under 15 and a 10pm to 8am curfew for platform use for 15- to 18-year-olds. These are among 43 recommendations made by a French inquiry in September 2025, which also recommended banning smartphones in schools, and implementing a crime of “digital negligence for parents who fail to protect their children”.

While France introduced a requirement in 2023^[7] that platforms obtain parental consent for children under 15 to create social media accounts, it has yet to be enforced. This is also the case in Germany. There, children aged between 13 and 16 can only access platforms with parental consent, but without formal checks in place.

And, in Spain, the minimum age for social media accounts will rise from 14 to 16^[8], unless parents provide consent.

Norway announced plans in July to restrict access to social media for under 15s. The government explained^[9] the law would be “designed in accordance with children’s fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, access to information, and the right to association”.

In November, Denmark announced^[10] it would “ban access to social media for anyone under 15”. However, unlike Australia’s legislation, parents can override the rules to enable 13- and 14-year-olds to retain platform access. Yet there is no date for implementation, with lawmakers expected to take months^[11] to pass the legislation.

It’s also unclear how Denmark’s ban will be enforced. But the country does have a national digital ID program that may be used.

In July, Denmark was named as part of a pilot program (with Greece, France, Spain, and Italy) to trial an age verification app^[12] that could be launched across the European Union for use by adult content sites and other digital providers.