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Australia was the first to act, banning people under 16 from 10 major platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube last December. Greece has since announced a ban for under-15s, set to take effect in January 2027, and France has proposed a similar law for the same age group. Other European countries, including Spain, are considering similar measures and some are calling for a European Union (EU)-wide legislative framework.
These models rely on age verification mechanisms, but differ in who is responsible for enforcing them. In Australia, platforms must verify users’ ages themselves, using a combination of AI-based estimation and third-party tokens. In Greece, the government is taking direct control. A state-run app called Kids Wallet will block access to restricted platforms on a child’s device.
Social media platforms are designed with one goal in mind: making profit. To do so, they need to keep users online and engaged, and the younger, the better. But this comes at a cost. This model has fuelled a rise in disinformation, hate speech and the misuse of children’s data, and shapes how young people think, learn and concentrate. The consequences can be severe. In the USA, major platforms have been fined millions of dollars for misusing children’s data, and in North Macedonia, children have been lured into illegal activities, including human trafficking, through social media. The question is no longer whether something should be done, but how.
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