What's happened
As of April 2026, multiple countries including the UK, Turkey, Australia, and others have passed or are considering laws to restrict social media access for children under 15 or 16. The UK government has committed to imposing age restrictions for under-16s following consultations, while Turkey has passed a law banning under-15s from social media accounts. Australia’s ban on under-16s began in December 2025, with other nations planning similar measures.
What's behind the headline?
Global Trend in Child Online Safety Legislation
Governments are increasingly prioritizing children’s protection from social media harms by legislating age restrictions and platform accountability. Australia’s pioneering ban on under-16s has set a precedent, prompting countries like the UK, Turkey, Spain, France, and Norway to follow with similar or stricter measures.
Enforcement Challenges and Industry Pushback
Despite technological capability for age verification, platforms have inconsistently applied these measures, as seen in Australia where regulators are investigating major companies for breaches. Industry resistance and concerns over privacy, free speech, and parental rights complicate enforcement.
Political and Social Drivers
In the UK, political pressure from peers and bereaved families has accelerated government commitments to impose statutory age restrictions. Turkey’s legislation follows a deadly school shooting, linking online content to real-world violence, intensifying urgency.
Forecast and Impact
These laws will force social media companies to redesign platforms to comply with age limits and parental controls, potentially reducing children’s exposure to harmful content. However, enforcement will require robust verification systems and regulatory oversight. The measures will reshape how young people engage online, with significant implications for families, educators, and tech firms.
What This Means for Users
Parents will gain more tools to control children’s online activity, but debates over government mandates versus parental choice will continue. Children under the age limits will face restricted access, which may push some to seek alternative, less regulated platforms.
Overall, this global movement signals a decisive shift toward prioritizing child safety in digital spaces, with governments asserting stronger regulatory roles over tech companies.
How we got here
Concerns over social media’s impact on children’s mental health and safety have driven governments worldwide to act. Australia led with a ban on under-16s in December 2025. The UK is consulting on similar restrictions, while Turkey recently passed legislation following a tragic school shooting linked to online activity. Other European and Asian countries are also introducing age limits and parental controls.
Our analysis
The Independent reports that UK Education Minister Olivia Bailey has committed to imposing age restrictions for under-16s on social media, stating, "It is not a question of whether the Government acts, but how the Government acts to deliver strong and enduring protections for children online." Conservative peer Lord Nash has led parliamentary efforts pushing for an Australia-style ban, describing the government’s concession as "a huge step forward for our children’s safety online." The Mirror highlights the frustration of bereaved families like Esther Ghey’s, who expressed feeling "a little bit devastated" that Prime Minister Keir Starmer met social media executives before meeting families affected by online harms. Reuters provides a comprehensive overview of global legislative efforts, noting that countries such as Austria, Brazil, France, Greece, Indonesia, Malaysia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, and the UK are introducing or considering bans or restrictions for children under 15 or 16. It also details enforcement challenges, citing Australia’s eSafety Commissioner investigating major platforms for compliance failures. The New York Times and Al Jazeera cover Turkey’s recent passage of a law banning under-15s from social media accounts, with President Erdogan emphasizing the need to protect children from "cesspools" of harmful content. Opposition parties criticize the approach, advocating for rights-based policies rather than bans. The NY Post reports on California’s proposed bill AB-1709, which would ban under-16s from platforms with addictive features unless apps are redesigned, highlighting the growing US momentum on this issue. Together, these sources illustrate a global wave of legislative action driven by concerns over children’s mental health, safety, and exposure to harmful online content, balanced against debates on privacy, enforcement, and parental rights.
Go deeper
- What are the main challenges in enforcing social media age restrictions?
- How are social media companies responding to these new laws?
- What impact will these restrictions have on children and families?
More on these topics
-
Keir Starmer - Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom
Sir Keir Rodney Starmer KCB QC MP is a British politician and former lawyer who has served as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition since 2020. He has been Member of Parliament for Holborn and St Pancras since 2015.
-
Australia - Country in Oceania
Australia, officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands.
-
TikTok
TikTok/Douyin is a Chinese video-sharing social networking service owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based Internet technology company founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming.
-
Instagram - Social networking service
Instagram is an American photo and video sharing social networking service owned by Facebook, created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and originally launched on iOS in October 2010.
-
Turkey - Country in the Middle East
Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia, with a smaller portion on the Balkan peninsula in Southeastern Europe.
-
Laura Trott - Wikimedia human name disambiguation page
Laura Trott may refer to: Laura Kenny (née Trott; born 1992), British track and road cyclist Laura Trott (politician) (born 1984), British Conservative Party politician
-
Brianna Ghey - Transgender British TikToker (2006–2023)
On 11 February 2023, Brianna Ghey ( JEYE), a 16-year-old British transgender girl, was murdered in a premeditated attack by Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe. After being lured into Culcheth Linear Park by Jenkinson, Ghey was fatally stabbed. Jenkins
-
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers and domestically usually referred to simply as the Lords, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is granted by appointment or by heredity or official function. Like the H