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20 clusters · 205 sources · 62 days · First seen · Last updated

Global surge in social media regulation for minors

Overview

Global efforts to regulate social media for minors are intensifying through new legislation and judicial rulings. In Australia, a ban prohibiting children under 16 from holding accounts went into effect in late 2025, resulting in over 750,000 deleted accounts. In the United States, a Los Angeles court found Meta and YouTube liable for designing platforms that ‘deliberately foster dependency in minors’. California has also enacted 13 laws targeting addictive features like infinite scrolling and autoplay, prohibiting behavioral profiling and directed advertising for users under 16.

The European Commission has formally proposed the ‘EU Kids Act’ to enhance online protections. The proposal introduces a tiered access model: children under 13 would be prohibited from social media, while 13 and 14-year-olds would use parent-managed ‘mini-accounts’ with a one-hour daily limit. Full independent accounts would be permitted from age 15. The Act mandates that platforms be ‘safe by default’, requiring the removal of reward systems and nighttime notifications, and deactivating AI chatbots by default to prevent emotional dependency.

In South Korea, the Korea Communications Commission is reviewing measures to regulate social media use among minors to combat addiction. Proposed changes to the Information and Communications Network Act include prohibiting users under 14 from joining platforms, potentially allowing exceptions through parental consent. The commission is also examining restrictions for users aged 14 to 19, such as disabling personalized recommendation algorithms, infinite scrolling, and autoplay functions by default. The government aims to finalize a response plan by the first half of next year.

Entities

European Commission · EU Kids Act · TikTok · Meta · Ursula von der Leyen

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Timeline

  1. [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    South Korea considers age limits and algorithm restrictions for youth SNS use

    South Korea is considering new regulations to limit social media access for minors, including age restrictions and disabling addictive features like infinite scrolling and personalized algorithms.

  2. [INTERNATIONAL] 2 sources
    Governments consider restrictions on youth social media and gaming

    South Korea and the UK are developing regulations to limit social media and in-game communication for minors to enhance online safety.

  3. [TECHNOLOGY] 7 sources
    Dutch Cabinet supports EU Kids Act while raising privacy concerns

    The Dutch Cabinet supports the EU Kids Act to protect children online but warns of potential risks to privacy and fundamental rights regarding age verification and parental responsibility.

  4. [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    European Commission proposes EU Kids Act to enhance digital safety

    The European Commission's proposed EU Kids Act aims to protect minors online through age-based social media access, enhanced privacy defaults, and proactive safety designs for digital platforms.

  5. [TECHNOLOGY] 42 sources
    Greece bans social media access for children under 15

    Greece has passed a law banning social media access for children under 15, effective January 1, 2027. Platforms must implement privacy-preserving age verification or face heavy fines.

  6. [TECHNOLOGY] 3 sources
    California enacts digital platform regulations to protect minors

    California has passed 13 laws targeting digital platforms to protect minors by banning addictive features like infinite scrolling and regulating AI interactions to prevent compulsive use and mental health risks

  7. [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    Global youth social media regulations face scrutiny amid effectiveness debates

    An EBS documentary examines global social media bans for minors in Australia and France, highlighting that 68.3% of surveyed South Korean youth oppose blanket usage limits.

  8. [INTERNATIONAL] 20 sources
    EU and Greece propose age limits to combat social media addiction

    The EU Commission and Greece are introducing age restrictions on social media to combat rising addiction rates among minors, proposing bans for those under 13 and strict limits for younger teens.

  9. [TECHNOLOGY] 6 sources
    Global organizations demand stricter digital safety regulations for minors

    Over 300 organizations and global foundations are calling for new laws to regulate tech platforms and protect children from addictive designs, harmful content, and privacy violations.

  10. [TECHNOLOGY] 3 sources
    EU Kids Act proposes strict age verification for digital platforms

    The EU Kids Act proposes strict age verification and child-safe digital environments, sparking debate over privacy and the effectiveness of technical controls versus parental supervision.

  11. [TECHNOLOGY] 4 sources
    EU Commission proposes EU Kids Act to regulate social media for minors

    The EU Commission has proposed the EU Kids Act to protect minors online, including age-based restrictions on social media and mandatory safe design for platforms used by those under 18.

  12. [TECHNOLOGY] 49 sources
    Digital safety: WhatsApp launches parental controls in Brazil amid global regulatory shifts

    Meta is introducing WhatsApp parental controls in Brazil, while the EU, Greece, and Portugal advance legislative measures to restrict social media access and enhance digital safety for minors.

  13. [INTERNATIONAL] 9 sources
    Global leaders push for social media age restrictions to protect children

    Over 20 nations are moving to restrict social media access for children, led by Australian and EU proposals to mitigate digital risks and protect youth mental health and learning capacity.

  14. [TECHNOLOGY] 10 sources
    EU Commission proposes EU KIDS Act to regulate social media and AI for minors

    The European Commission proposed the EU KIDS Act, which would restrict social media access for children under 13 and mandate default AI chatbot deactivation for minors to prevent addiction and emotional harm.

  15. [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    Ghanaian experts call for digital media regulation

    Analysts and experts in Ghana are advocating for new digital media regulations to manage social media's influence and protect children from online exploitation and privacy risks.

  16. [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    Social media platforms face increased scrutiny over child safety and algorithms

    Regulators and experts are pushing for greater social media accountability to protect minors, focusing on algorithm transparency, age verification, and stricter enforcement of digital safety laws.

  17. [TECHNOLOGY] 45 sources
    European Commission proposes EU Kids Act to restrict minor access to social media

    The European Commission has proposed the EU Kids Act, which would ban social media for children under 13 and mandate parental supervision for those aged 13-15 to improve online safety.

  18. [POLITICS] 4 sources
    Mauritania proposes new social media regulations to protect minors

    Mauritania is considering new regulations to protect minors online, including a minimum age of 16 for social media and disabling features like recommendation algorithms and infinite scrolling.

  19. [TECHNOLOGY] 4 sources
    Global surge in social media regulations for minors

    Countries worldwide are implementing laws and facing court rulings to restrict social media access for minors to combat digital addiction and mental health issues.

  20. [POLITICS] 3 sources
    Denmark to introduce 15-year age limit for social media

    Denmark plans to implement a national age limit of 15 for social media access by July 2027 to protect children from harmful content and addictive algorithms.

Sources

023.hr · 1zwolle.nl · 24-ore.com · 24ur.com · aerzteblatt.de · afjv.com · agencia.unq.edu.ar · alagoas24horas.com.br · alfavita.gr · algorithmwatch.org · allgaeuer-zeitung.de · altinget.dk · aredacao.com.br · atvbl.rs · bergamonews.it · bestmarketing.ee · bhaskarhindi.com · bhaskarlive.in · bhekisisa.org · biz.heraldcorp.com · bl-portal.com · blogspan.net · borncity.com · brasil247.com · brasilemfolhas.com.br · bug.hr · businessdaily.gr · canalcapital.gov.co · cash.ch · cathnews.com · centritalianews.it · chale.news · cnn.gr · contilnetnoticias.com.br · corsenetinfos.corsica · cozyearth.com · cryptobriefing.com · dayitalianews.com · descopera.ro · diariosigloxxi.com · difesapopolo.it · diritto.it · disa.org · dk-online.de · dn.pt · dorstenerzeitung.de · dr-datenschutz.de · dutchcowboys.nl

This summary has been updated 42 times: see revision history