Global Governments Implement Social Media Bans for Minors

A global movement to restrict children's access to social media has accelerated, with multiple nations implementing or proposing age-verification mandates. On June 2, 2026, Malaysia began enforcing regulations prohibiting children under 16 from holding social media accounts, targeting platforms with over 8 million users and threatening non-compliant companies with fines up to 10 million ringgit. Simultaneously, President Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives announced plans to implement a similar ban for those under 16 within one year.

Governments in Australia, Indonesia, and Brazil have already introduced restrictions, while the United Kingdom passed a law granting the state power to restrict users under 16 and potentially mandate identity verification for VPN services. In the United States, half of all states have active or pending legislation. To facilitate enforcement, Apple implemented operating system-level verification for 35 million UK users in March 2026, and the European Commission launched an open-source verification app in April 2026.

In Sweden, a government-appointed expert committee recently recommended banning social media for children under 15. This proposal, presented by Minister for Public Health Jakob Forssmed and committee chair Lisa Englund Krafft, aims to combat the health impacts of endless content consumption. The Swedish government intends to finalize this proposal by January 1, 2028, following consultations with stakeholders.