[REVISION HISTORY]

Global surge in social media regulation for minors

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2026-11-05 04:08 UTC → 2026-11-08 04:23 UTC · added ~~removed~~

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. ~~This initiative responds to data indicating that one in six adolescents aged 11 to 15 has experienced cyberbullying.~~ In ~~the Netherlands, the Dutch Cabinet has expressed support for~~ South Korea, the ~~EU Kids Act~~ Korea Communications Commission is reviewing measures to ~~prevent a patchwork of different regulations. However, officials raised concerns that age verification processes must not infringe upon~~ regulate social media use among minors to combat addiction. Proposed changes to the ~~privacy and fundamental rights of children~~ Information and ~~adults, noting that ‘mini-accounts’ might place excessive responsibility on parents. In Greece, Parliament has approved a law~~ Communications Network Act include prohibiting ~~social media access for those~~ users under ~~15, effective January 1, 2027. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that platforms have two and a half months~~ 14 from joining platforms, potentially allowing exceptions through parental consent. The commission is also examining restrictions for users aged 14 to ~~propose technical solutions,~~ 19, such as ~~using digital tools like the Kids Wallet or Gov.gr Wallet,~~ disabling personalized recommendation algorithms, infinite scrolling, and autoplay functions by default. The government aims to ~~ensure age compliance while protecting privacy.~~ finalize a response plan by the first half of next year.

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