Global surge in social media age restrictions for minors

Governments worldwide are increasingly implementing strict regulations to restrict social media access for minors. Australia led this movement in November 2024 by passing legislation that prohibits children under 16 from accessing social media, backed by heavy fines for non-compliant platforms. Following this, Indonesia and Malaysia also enacted similar bans for users under 16 across various platforms, including TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced plans to ban minors under 16 from several major platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok, and Twitch, though the measure awaits parliamentary approval. Meanwhile, New Zealand is considering a similar age limit of 16.

The regulatory push is also being driven by legal challenges in the United States. Meta has agreed to pay up to $16.68 billion to settle lawsuits from several U.S. states. These lawsuits alleged that the company designed its platforms to be addictive to minors and misled consumers regarding the potential dangers of social media use.