Australia, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Indonesia enacted or implemented new laws in late 2025 and early 2026 restricting social media access for children under 16. These measures cite safety concerns regarding mental health risks and harmful content as governments move to regulate online spaces for minors.

The Pew Research Center surveyed 42,151 people across 36 countries regarding social media use and views on democracy. Interviews for this global survey were conducted from February 8 to May 13, 2026.

TikTok is the third most commonly used social media platform in the 37-country median, with 40% of respondents reporting use. X and Snapchat are tied for the fourth most commonly used social media platforms in the 37-country median, with 18% of respondents reporting use for each.

In Australia, 81% of respondents report using Facebook, 59% use Instagram, 27% use TikTok, 19% use X, and 24% use Snapchat. The Australian government enacted a law on December 10, 2025, requiring social media platforms to verify ages and remove accounts belonging to children under 16.

Reddit challenged Australia's under-16 social media ban in the High Court of Australia. The company filed a High Court case arguing the law violated free speech protections under the Australian Constitution.

The Australian government argued in its High Court defense that credible risks of addictive behaviors and anxiety justify the under-16 social media ban despite a lack of scientific consensus on causation. A Pew Research Center survey found that 82% of Australian adults support restricting social media access for children under 16.

Brazil implemented a law in March 2026 requiring parental consent for social media accounts for children under 16. In Brazil, the share of X users decreased from 22% in 2023 to 7% in 2026.

In March 2026, Indonesia deactivated 4.7 million social media accounts belonging to children under 16, with TikTok removing 4.1 million and YouTube deactivating 600,000 accounts as part of its enforcement of new age restrictions. Lisa Nandy, the UK Culture Secretary, stated that banning under-16s from social media is only a "staging post" toward further state intervention in online spaces. A consultation on the UK's under-16 social media ban attracted more than 116,000 responses, with 85% of parents stating the risks of social media outweighed the benefits.

What's New

Indonesia's social media restrictions for children under 16, implemented in March 2026, followed Australia's 2025 ban on under-16 social media use, citing similar concerns about mental health risks and harmful content.

82% of Australian adults support restricting social media access for children under 16, according to a Pew Research Center survey.

The UK's Ofcom strengthened its Illegal Content Codes in 2026 to mandate hash-matching technology for detecting non-consensual intimate images, expanding protections for minors on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Why It Matters

The scale of enforcement varies by jurisdiction, with Indonesia deactivating 4.7 million accounts in March 2026 alone. Legal challenges such as Reddit's High Court case in Australia highlight tensions between child protection mandates and constitutional free speech protections. Further state intervention in online spaces remains a possibility, as indicated by UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy's description of current bans as a staging post.