Governments around the world are taking measures to limit minors’ access to social media, with a minimum age of 16 years set as an emerging standard. This trend intensifies following Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, paying out in the United States to settle allegations that its platforms promote addiction in teenagers and conceal risks.
Global regulation on the move
Australia led the movement by approving, in November 2024, one of the strictest laws to control minors under 16 years old, imposing massive fines on companies that fail to comply. Indonesia followed suit in March, banning minors under 16 from TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live, Roblox, and YouTube. In June, Malaysia became the third country to implement similar restrictions, requiring age verification systems.
Europe and the protection bet
In the continent, Spain plans to raise the minimum age of registration on social media from 14 to 16 years through the Law for the Protection of Minors in Digital Environments, obliging companies to have age verification. France approved in January a law that prohibited access to minors under 15 years, but the Constitutional Council annulled its main article; the government plans to rewrite the norm for 2027. Greece, Denmark, Slovenia, and Finland are also considering 15-year-old limits, while Portugal and Austria consider 16 and 14 years respectively. Norway and New Zealand aim to ban minors under 16 years old.
United States and the state fight
In the United States, lawmakers in Texas, New York, and Florida are seeking to ban minors under 18 years old, although these initiatives are state-level and do not constitute a federal law.
Credits: robertocavada.com
