The European Parliament on Wednesday asked its member states to adopt a minimum age of 16 for children to access social media. Here’s a summary of what European countries, Australia and technology companies are doing to regulate young people’s access to social media.
European Union legislation
On November 26, the European Parliament passed a resolution requiring the minimum age to access social media to be 16 years old to ensure “age-appropriate online participation.” It also called for an EU minimum age of 13, below which no minor can access social media platforms, and a minimum age of 13 for the use of video-sharing services and “artificial intelligence agents.”
The decision is not legally binding and does not set policy.
Technology regulation
Social media platforms, including TikTok, Facebook and Snapchat, say people must be at least 13 to sign up. However, child protection advocates say oversight is insufficient, and official data from several European countries show that large numbers of children under 13 have social media accounts.
Australia
A law passed in November 2024 forces tech giants to prevent minors from logging in under penalty of fines of up to A$49.5 million (US$32.1 million). Methods for enforcing the rule have been tested since January and the ban will come into effect from December 10.
Belgium
In 2018, Belgium enacted a law requiring children to be at least 13 years old to have a social media account without their parents’ permission.
UK
The British government passed the Online Safety Act, which sets stricter standards for social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and TikTok – including appropriate age restrictions – in 2023, and has been implemented from 2025. However, the government has not set a clear age limit for social media use by minors.
France
In 2023, France passed a law requiring social media networks to obtain parental consent for children under 15 to create accounts. However, local media say technical challenges mean the rule has not yet been implemented.
In April 2024, a commission commissioned by President Emmanuel Macron recommended stricter rules, including a ban on mobile phones for children under 11 and a minimum age of 13 for a child to have a mobile phone with internet access. It is unclear when the new legislation will be adopted and to what extent it will follow expert recommendations.
Germany
Officially, minors between the ages of 13 and 16 can only use social media in Germany with the consent of their parents. However, child protection advocates say controls are inadequate and are calling for better enforcement of current rules.
Italy
In Italy, children under the age of 14 need parental consent to register for social media accounts, but as of this age no consent is required.
Holland
Although the Netherlands does not have a law on the minimum age for social media use, the government has banned the use of mobile devices in classrooms from January 2024 to reduce student distraction. Exclusions apply to digital classes, medical needs, or disabilities.
Norway
In October 2024, the Norwegian government proposed raising the age at which children can agree to terms required to use social media from 13 to 15, although parents can still sign on their behalf if they are under the age limit.
The center-left government has also begun working on legislation to set an absolute legal minimum age for using social media at 15, but it was not immediately clear when a law mandating this might reach Parliament.
Half of Norwegian nine-year-olds use some form of social media, according to the government.
Brazil
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva issued legislation at the beginning of the year prohibiting students in public and private schools from using portable electronic devices such as cell phones and tablets during their time in educational institutions. The use of devices in the classroom is permitted only for pedagogical or educational purposes, subject to the guidance of teachers. The justification for approving the standard was to preserve the mental, physical and psychological health of children and adolescents.
According to Senado, the TIC Kids Online survey, conducted by Brazil’s Internet Steering Committee, estimates that 95% of children between the ages of 9 and 17 will be Internet users, primarily using a mobile device. In 2023, according to the survey, 24% of participants stated that they started connecting to the network before the age of six. In the survey, 88% of users aged 9 to 17 years declared that they had social networks, a percentage that reached 99% among young people aged 15 to 17 years.