Meta reached a landmark $17.1 billion settlement with US states and territories on Wednesday to resolve allegations that its addictive social media platforms endangered children. But this is only one facet of a broader movement: over the past year, the company behind Facebook and Instagram — along with other tech giants — has faced a wave of bans and restrictions around the world.
Denmark announced a plan last year to prohibit under-15s from using certain platforms. The Danish digital ministry said the move aims to keep children away from social media until they turn 15, giving them more time for "calm, play and development."
Australia has gone furthest. In December last year, the world's first social media ban for teenagers took effect, comprehensively prohibiting under-16s from platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X and YouTube. But young people quickly found ways around the restrictions. By spring, surveys showed that among parents of under-16s who already had accounts before the ban, around 70% said their teens could still access one of the age-restricted services. In June, the government said it would strengthen the law, admitting it had been "underwhelming" in effect.
Spain's Prime Minister Sánchez said in February that Spain would ban under-16s from social media, though he added the move requires parliamentary approval. Indonesia moved faster — in March it imposed a ban preventing under-16s from using platforms deemed "high-risk," including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X and Roblox. The ban took effect the same month, and Indonesian authorities also summoned Google and Meta officials for failing to comply with the new law.
Brazil has taken a "supervision by binding" route: since March, social media users under 16 have been required to link their accounts to a legal guardian for oversight.
Notably, these bans have not all gone smoothly. Some world leaders who said they might support such restrictions in principle have also questioned their effectiveness — Australia's "underwhelming" results are a signal: when young people can always find ways around age verification, how much can a simple ban achieve? Supporters argue that even if enforcement is imperfect, the signal a law sends, and the pressure it puts on platforms, is already the beginning of change. This global crackdown is clearly just getting started.