Explained: Why countries are setting minimum ages for social media

The trend

Australia’s ban on social media accounts for under-16s took effect in December 2025. Greece has now legislated an under-15 restriction from January 2027, and other governments are weighing similar steps.

The case for

• Concerns about the effects of heavy use on sleep, attention and mental health.
• A legal minimum shifts responsibility to platforms, rather than leaving every family to negotiate alone.

The case against

• Age checks can mean collecting more personal data — from everyone, not just children.
• Teenagers may move to smaller, less moderated apps.
• Bans can cut young people off from communities and information they value.

The real test

Whether a law works depends less on the age written into it than on how reliably — and how privately — platforms can check age.