In small rooms filled with blue light from phone screens, the lives of millions of children once quietly passed amidst countless notifications and endless scrolls. The innocent curiosity of childhood has long been unintentionally drawn into complex algorithms, where attention becomes an expensive commodity. Looking back at that scene, people are startled to realize that cyberspace has gone too far into real life. Faced with growing concerns about mental health, online bullying and the risk of Internet addiction in young children, countries are beginning to realize the need for intervention.
From ancient Europe to dynamic cities in Asia, a contemporary transformation is taking place. Closing invisible doors is not to narrow the world of children, but is a necessary barrier to restore safety to childhood. This wave of tightening management is gradually forming, marking a major turning point in how humanity treats technology.
The racetrack is getting crowded
More than 20 countries have been or are preparing to implement measures to restrict children from using social networks to protect security in the digital space. Most recently, the French Parliament voted on a bill banning children under 15 years old from using social networks on July 21, expecting it to take effect from September to become the first European country to establish legal age in the digital space.
Previously, Australia banned people under 16 years old from the end of 2025, while Indonesia and Malaysia also applied similar bans in 2026. In Brazil, instead of completely banning, the Government requires accounts of people under 16 years old to be linked to parents and the platform must verify age. In China, management has been implemented step by step since 2019, starting with online gaming time limits and then expanding to social networks and streaming from 2023.
Many other regions are also rushing into this race. The European Commission is expected to propose banning children under 13 years old and applying a roadmap for access for the age group from 13 to 18. In the European Union, countries such as Greece, Austria, Slovenia, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Italy are all discussing or preparing restrictive bills. Norway, UK, Canada and some Indian states are also considering raising the minimum age or stricter management. Notably, the UK is planning to impose curfew hours on social networks for teenagers aged 16 and 17, in addition to completely banning children under 16 years old from accessing platforms such as TikTok or YouTube.
Lessons from Australia
As a pioneer in applying the law from December 10, 2025 to raise the age of social media use to 16, Australia has required major platforms to take legal responsibility for verifying and enforcing the minimum age. As soon as the law took effect, 10 major platforms removed 4.7 million accounts owned by about 2.5 million children aged 8 to 15 years old.
Although there are concerns that the law is not thorough because children can still watch content without logging into their accounts like on YouTube, reality shows that usage indicators have decreased significantly. According to Qustodio, a parental control platform, Snapchat usage in the age group 13 to 15 has decreased by about 40%. As a result, risks from algorithms of retention, late-night notifications or interaction with strangers are increasingly controlled. A survey by YouGov, a market research and online data analysis company in the UK, after a month showed that 61% of parents see positive changes in their children, from more direct interactions to improving family relationships.
Australia's determination also promotes the strong development of age verification technology to protect privacy, such as estimating age through biometrics or third-party verification without submitting personal papers. More importantly, the law creates economic pressure for technology companies to proactively change to design safer products. Snap has shifted users aged 13 to 15 to the friend mode globally. Canada's draft Safe Social Media Law also pursues this direction by placing the obligation to prove safety on companies. Lessons from Australia show that this is a long-term journey, gradually changing social norms and recreating a healthy cyberspace for future generations.
Australia's ban not only prevents children from using social media but also creates economic pressure, forcing technology companies to proactively change to design safer products.
In the European Union, countries such as Greece, Austria, Slovenia, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Italy are all discussing or preparing bills to restrict social networks.
