What to Know About Planned Social Media Bans in Australia, the U.K. and Beyond

Britain will introduce measures to ban social media for children under 16 and to restrict access to other sorts of online interactions, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in an announcement on Monday.

Several other countries have announced plans for similar social media bans as parents, educators and experts try to protect children from the potential harms associated with its use.

In December, Australia became the first country to bar anyone under 16 from using many social media apps. It was a closely watched test case for many countries, including Britain, which said it would adopt its own version of the Australian model. Six months in, most indications are that young teenagers in Australia who were already using social media are still doing so, although experts expect the benefits will be felt by the next generation.

The planned bans, in Britain and other countries, follow growing calls from parents and educators for governments and tech companies to do more to protect children online. In December, for instance, a YouGov poll found that 74 percent of Britons supported such a ban. On Monday, Britain said that nine out of 10 parents who responded to a government survey were in favor.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/15/world/europe/social-media-bans-worldwide.html