# Global Expansion of Social Media Age Restrictions and Safegu > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/under16-social-media-ban-efforts > Updated: 2026-09-15T01:55:00.000Z. Sources: 137. Developments: 16. The global movement to restrict social media access for minors continues to expand, facing ongoing legal and technical challenges. Following Australia’s implementation of a national ban, Indonesia and Malaysia have enacted similar restrictions for users under 16. In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced plans to ban minors under 16 from major platforms, pending parliamentary approval, while New Zealand is considering a similar limit. Regulatory pressure is being shaped by massive legal settlements in the United States, including Meta’s agreement to pay up to $16.68 billion to settle lawsuits regarding addictive platform design. In Australia, legislative efforts have intensified with the introduction of the ‘My Feed, My Way’ bill and a digital duty of care bill. These measures aim to disrupt addictive economic models by requiring platforms to offer users over 16 a choice between algorithmic and chronological feeds, while prohibiting recommendation algorithms entirely for those under 16. The proposed laws seek to protect minors from misogynistic content, terrorism, bullying, and eating disorders. Recent investigations into algorithmic impact have highlighted potential risks. An experiment involving gendered profiles suggested that a profile posing as a 17-year-old boy was quickly directed toward the ‘manosphere’ and misogynistic content, while a profile posing as a 17-year-old girl encountered content related to gender division. Additionally, testing of a purely chronological Instagram feed revealed that without AI recommendations, users could exhaust all new content within minutes, leading to a digital experience described as feeling ‘hollow’. These developments follow data from the Butterfly Foundation indicating that over 90 per cent of Australians aged 12-18 express body image concerns related to social media. ## Claims - The proportion of children with personal social‑media accounts fell from 52 % to 42 % after the ban. (disputed by 30 sources) - Daily social‑media use among teenagers dropped from about 60 % to 58 % after the ban. (disputed) - Australia introduced a world‑first ban on social media for children under 16, effective 10 Dec 2025. (corroborated by 30 sources) - A statistically significant drop was recorded in the number of accounts on YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok. (corroborated by 30 sources) - More than eight in ten Australian teenagers (over 80%) were still using social media three months after the ban. (corroborated by 29 sources) - Platforms failed to implement effective age‑verification systems, leading to continued teen use. (corroborated by 29 sources) - Parental awareness of their children’s online habits decreased after the ban. (corroborated by 29 sources) - The Australian government announced it will double the maximum fines for technology companies that breach the under‑16 social‑media ban. (corroborated by 23 sources) - The eSafety regulator launched an investigation into five platforms (Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram) for possible non‑compliance. (corroborated by 12 sources) - The French Constitutional Court rejected a provision in a new law that would have banned social media access for those under 15. (corroborated by 10 sources) - The Canadian federal government introduced Bill C-34 to require social media platforms to block access for children under 16. (corroborated by 9 sources) ## Timeline ### 2026-09-15: Australia social media algorithm experiment reveals gendered content trends An experiment testing social media algorithms shows how gendered profiles receive different content, amid Australian government plans for a digital duty of care bill to protect minors. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/australia-social-media-algorithm-experiment-reveals-gendered-content-trends ### 2026-09-12: Australia proposes legislation to allow users to disable social media algorithms Following proposed Australian legislation to allow users to disable content algorithms, an experiment revealed that removing AI recommendations can lead to an immediate lack of new social media content. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/australia-proposes-legislation-to-allow-users-to-disable-social-media-algorithms ### 2026-09-09: Australia proposes law to restrict social media algorithms Australia's proposed ‘My Feed, My Way’ law would force social media platforms to offer non-algorithmic feeds to users over 16 and ban recommendation algorithms for those under 16. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/australia-proposes-law-to-restrict-social-media-algorithms ### 2026-09-03: Social media companies deploy AI to improve age verification for minors Tech giants like Meta and Google are deploying AI and machine learning to improve age verification and protect minors on social media platforms through automated privacy restrictions. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/social-media-companies-deploy-ai-to-improve-age-verification-for-minors ### 2026-08-31: Japan and Singapore consider social media restrictions for youth Japan and Singapore are considering social media restrictions for youth, including age limits and daily time caps, to address digital addiction and excessive usage among teenagers. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-and-singapore-consider-social-media-restrictions-for-youth ### 2026-08-31: Global surveys show support for child social media restrictions Global and Japanese surveys show strong support for restricting social media use for children, while attitudes toward AI in schools remain more positive despite rising concerns over youth mental health. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/global-surveys-show-support-for-child-social-media-restrictions ### 2026-08-28: Global surge in social media age restrictions for minors Countries including Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia are banning social media access for minors under 16, as the UK and New Zealand consider similar restrictions amid global regulatory pressure. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/global-surge-in-social-media-age-restrictions-for-minors ### 2026-08-23: Global social media bans for minors face implementation and rights challenges Global efforts to regulate minors' social media use through bans and platform accountability face challenges regarding effectiveness, privacy rights, and the exclusion of youth from digital governance decisions 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/global-social-media-bans-for-minors-face-implementation-and-rights-challenges ### 2026-08-21: Global push for social media age restrictions intensifies Global efforts to regulate social media for minors intensify as Australia faces enforcement hurdles and US states like California propose bans on addictive features to protect youth mental health. 13 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/americans-favor-social-media-bans-for-children-under-16 ### 2026-08-17: Australia social media ban report found to contain AI-generated fake citations A report supporting Australia's social media ban for under-16s is under investigation after findings of AI-generated, non-existent scientific citations in a $3.48 million study by the Age Check Certification_S_ 6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/australia-social-media-ban-report-faces-scrutiny-over-ai-citation-errors ### 2026-08-16: Global efforts to restrict social media access for minors face legal and technical hurdles Multiple nations, including Canada, Australia, and France, are implementing or debating social media age restrictions for minors, facing legal challenges and technical enforcement difficulties. 22 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/canada-considers-social-media-ban-for-children-under-16 ### 2026-08-13: Global debate grows over social media bans for minors Global debate intensifies over social media bans for minors. While Australia's ban faces enforcement hurdles, nations like Brazil and Germany explore alternative regulatory and parental control models. 9 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/australia-social-media-ban-for-under-16s-shows-limited-impact ### 2026-08-02: Australia's Under-16 Social Media Ban Shows Limited Effectiveness Australia’s under‑16 social media ban, launched Dec 2025, saw over 80 % of teens still active after three months; age checks failed, account ownership fell modestly, and the government claims cultural impact as 11 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/australias-under16-social-media-ban-fails-to-reduce-teen-use ### 2026-07-31: Australia's under‑16 social‑media ban proves ineffective as 80% of teens stay online Australia’s under‑16 social‑media ban has little effect: >80% of teens stay online, account ownership fell to 42%, age‑check failures persist, and the government plans to double fines. 52 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/eu-extends-chat-control-austria-to-require-age-verification-for-porn ### 2026-07-23: Australia's Under-16 Social Media Ban Fails as Compliance Falls to 6% A study finds only 6% of Australian teens obey the under‑16 social‑media ban six months after it took effect, with usage rising to 92% due to easy circumvention. 6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/australias-under16-socialmedia-ban-shows-low-compliance ### 2026-07-04: UK Government Proposes Ban on Social Media for Under‑16s UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a plan to ban under‑16s from social media, targeting addictive use and mental‑health risks, with the rule slated for 2027. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/uk-government-proposes-ban-on-social-media-for-under16s --- Cite as: Global Expansion of Social Media Age Restrictions and Safegu. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/under16-social-media-ban-efforts