Overview
- France plans to bar platforms from providing social media services to users under 15 from September 2026, with parliamentary debate set to begin in January and backing from President Emmanuel Macron.
- Australia’s nationwide under-16 restriction has been in force since December 10, with reports of roughly 200,000 TikTok accounts disabled on day one as the government prepares a year-long evaluation of outcomes.
- The European Parliament has directed member states to regulate minors’ access to social networks, reflecting mounting concern over youth exposure and platform design that maximizes attention.
- Evidence cited by policymakers includes research in Pediatrics from University of Pennsylvania linking earlier smartphone ownership to poorer sleep, higher depression rates, and increased obesity among adolescents.
- Public support for tighter rules is high in several countries—Mumsnet found 83% of UK parents would back an Australia-style policy—though some parents favor family-led limits and teens discuss workarounds such as VPNs; Malaysia and Denmark have announced restrictions for 2026 and the coming year, and several U.S. states have enacted partial measures.