Europe looks to Australia's social media ban for kids

"Though no European country has fully implemented a child social media ban, the intent is clear and the wheels are in motion in many places. Norway, Greece, the UK, Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands are among a host of European countries discussing some form of ban, while the EU has increasingly moved toward supporting the principle. 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. The country's eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, reported last month that social media companies "removed access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children under 16 in the first half of December" but provided no more recent figures after a DW request."

German, Spanish and French leaders have urged stronger social media protections for children, warning of personality, social behavior and emotional harms. Several European countries, including Norway, Greece, the UK, Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands, are discussing formal bans or restrictions, and the EU has moved toward supporting the principle. Australia implemented a world-first under-16 social media ban in December, relying on platforms to police ages; major sites became age-restricted while messaging and gaming services remained exempt. Australian regulators reported removal of about 4.7 million suspected child accounts, but experts note unclear breakdowns and anecdotal circumvention by teens.

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