The countries implementing social media bans for children, as Canada joins a growing list

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Malaysia

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Malaysia’s communications regulator said on June 1 that the country has begun blocking users under 16 from registering new social media accounts. It added that age verification for existing users will be rolled out progressively over the next six months.

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Companies that fail to comply could face penalties, but parents whose children manage to bypass the law will not be penalized.

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Norway

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In 2024, the Norwegian government announced plans to increase the minimum age limit on social media from 13 to 15. In April, Norway said it plans to present a bill in ​parliament before the end of the year that would ban children from using ‌social media until they turn 16 and make technology companies responsible for age verification.

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Poland

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In February, Poland’s ruling party said it is preparing legislation that would ban children under 15 from using social media and require platforms to verify users’ ages.

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Slovenia

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Slovenia’s deputy prime minister said in February that the government is preparing draft legislation to ban social media access for children under 15.

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Spain

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Spain plans to ban access to social media for minors under 16, with platforms required to implement age verification systems, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in February.

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Sweden

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On June 2, a government-appointed commission recommended that Sweden introduce a minimum age of 15 for the use of social media.

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Turkey

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On April 24, Turkey’s parliament passed a bill that includes restricting access to social media platforms for children under 15. The legislation would also force social media platforms to install age‑verification systems, provide parental control tools and require companies to rapidly respond to content deemed harmful.

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U.K.

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U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to announce a ban on some social media platforms for under-16s next week.

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Under the plans, businesses such as Google and Apple will be required to use technical solutions to detect and block nude images for children, and face fines or other regulations if they fail to do so.

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U.S.

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The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) in the U.S. passed the Senate in 2024 but was met with concern from GOP leadership in the House.

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The bill was reintroduced last month, and would require social media companies to “exercise reasonable care” in designing features that contribute to harm to minors.

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KOSA is separate from ​the Children’s Online Privacy Protection ⁠Act, which prevents companies from collecting personal data from children under 13 without parental consent.

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What are tech companies doing?

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Many social media platforms, including TikTok, Facebook and Snapchat, say users must be at least 13 to sign up. But critics say this is insufficient, especially as many children under that age have their own social media accounts.

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Previous research by MediaSmarts, Canada’s centre for digital media literacy, found that close to nine in 10 Canadian youth (86 per cent) aged nine to 11 have an account on at least one platform that requires users to be 13 or older.

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Meanwhile, Apple announced that it is expanding tools for parents to protect children online on Monday. Beginning with software updates this fall, parents will be able to use children’s account features to pick which apps they can use and control which websites they can view.

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The tech company already lets parents create special accounts for children.

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What do Canadians think?

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Recent polling suggests the majority of Canadians are in favour of a social media ban for children.