EU governments look to Australia's social media ban for kids

"German Chancellor Friedrich Merz thinks that sociel media regulations could help prevent "personality deficits and problems in the social behavior of young people." Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wants to protect children from the "digital wild west." And French President Emmanuel Macron has insisted that "the emotions of our children and teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated.""

"Many governments are likely to look to the experience of Australia, which introduced a world-first social media ban for under-16s in December. This policy relied on policing by the social media firms. Sites including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X, YouTube and Reddit which has filed a lawsuit in opposition to the ban are now age-restricted but online gaming and messaging sites such as WhatsApp are not."

Several European leaders advocate restricting children’s access to social media to protect mental health, social behavior and emotional wellbeing. Multiple European countries and the EU are considering bans or age limits. Australia implemented a world-first ban for under-16s that depends on platforms to police accounts, making major social sites age-restricted while leaving some messaging and gaming services exempt. Australia’s eSafety Commissioner reported removal of roughly 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to under-16s in early December, with no recent public figures available. Experts caution that headline figures lack breakdowns, that teens may create new accounts or circumvent rules, and that legal and enforcement challenges exist.

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