Indonesia bans social media for teens

Indonesia bans social media for kids under the age of 16.

Indonesia will ban social media for children under 16, Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said Friday.

Hafid in a statement to media said that she just signed a government regulation that will mean children under the age of 16 can no longer have accounts on high-risk digital platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox.

The implementation will start gradually from March 28, until all platforms fulfill their compliance obligations.

I asked ChatGPT for a summary of other countries and states that have or are thinking of imposing similar bans and restrictions:

Summary of social-media bans or major restrictions on children, by country and by state/province

This focuses on government actions aimed at banning or sharply restricting minors’ access to social media. I’ve separated places where rules are already in force or rolling out from places where they are proposed, passed but not fully in force, or blocked in court.

1) In force or rolling out

Australia

• Status: In force
• Rule: Platforms covered by the law must take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under 16 from creating or keeping accounts.
• Start date: 10 December 2025
• Notes: This is the clearest example of a national ban already in effect.
• Sources:
  • eSafety Commissioner — Social media age restrictions
  • Australian government — Social media minimum age

Indonesia

• Status: Rolling out / implementation announced
• Rule: Indonesia will restrict access for children under 16 on “high-risk” platforms.
• Start date: 28 March 2026
• Notes: Reported platforms include TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Threads, Bigo Live, and Roblox.
• Sources:
  • AP — Indonesia will ban social media for children under 16
  • Reuters — Indonesia to restrict social media access for children under 16

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2) National governments moving toward bans or hard restrictions

France

• Status: Lower house / National Assembly backed the measure
• Rule: Ban children under 15 from social media.
• Notes: Strong movement, but not yet best described as a fully operative nationwide ban.
• Sources:
  • Reuters — France’s lower house backs social media ban for those under 15
  • Reuters — France’s National Assembly approves banning under-15s from social media

Spain

• Status: Proposed
• Rule: Ban access to social media for minors under 16.
• Notes: Announced by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez; implementation still depends on the legislative path.
• Sources:
  • Reuters — Spain and Greece weigh teen social media bans
  • Reuters background roundup

Greece

• Status: Close to announcement / under discussion
• Rule: A reported ban for children under 15.
• Notes: Reuters described Greece as close to announcing such a move, but not yet as having fully enacted it.
• Sources:
  • Reuters — Spain and Greece weigh teen social media bans
  • Reuters roundup

Malaysia

• Status: Planned
• Rule: Government says it plans to ban social media for those under 16.
• Target timing: 2026
• Sources:
  • Reuters — Malaysia says it plans to ban social media for under-16s from 2026

Norway

• Status: Proposed / in development
• Rule: Raise the relevant age threshold from 13 to 15 and work toward a legal minimum age of 15 for social media use.
• Notes: This is moving in the direction of a ban, but is not yet a fully operative ban.
• Sources:
  • Reuters — What countries do to regulate children’s social media access

Slovenia

• Status: Drafting legislation
• Rule: Draft law to prohibit children under 15 from accessing social media.
• Sources:
  • Reuters roundup

Poland

• Status: Preparing legislation
• Rule: New legislation being prepared to ban social media for children under 15.
• Sources:
  • Reuters roundup

United Kingdom

• Status: Consultation stage
• Rule: The government consultation includes the possibility of banning children from social media.
• Notes: This is not an enacted ban yet.
• Sources:
  • UK Parliament Commons Library — Children’s social media use and screen time

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3) State/province-level moves within countries

Karnataka, India

• Status: Announced
• Rule: Ban social media use for children under 16.
• Notes: Reuters describes Karnataka as the first Indian state to take this step. No implementation date was specified in the reporting I found.
• Sources:
  • Reuters — Karnataka bans social media for children under 16

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4) U.S. states: major attempts, but many are tied up in court

Florida

• Status: Passed, but enforcement has been blocked in federal court
• Rule: Ban children under 14 from social media; require parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds.
• Notes: One of the strongest U.S. state laws, but its main provisions were blocked pending litigation.
• Sources:
  • Reuters — DeSantis signs Florida law restricting social media for people under 16
  • Reuters — Judge blocks Florida law banning social media accounts for children

Utah

• Status: Passed, but blocked in court
• Rule: Restrictions on minors’ social media use, including age verification and tighter controls on minor accounts.
• Notes: Utah is one of the earliest and most important U.S. experiments, but enforcement was blocked.
• Sources:
  • Reuters — Utah law restricting youth social media use blocked by judge

Ohio

• Status: Blocked, later permanently struck down
• Rule: Required parental consent for children under 16 to use social media.
• Notes: This is an example of a state trying a softer restriction than a full ban, but the law did not survive judicial review.
• Sources:
  • Reuters — U.S. judge blocks Ohio law restricting children’s use of social media
  • AP — Judge strikes down an Ohio law limiting kids’ use of social media as unconstitutional

Virginia

• Status: Passed, then blocked in court
• Rule: Limit children under 16 to one hour a day on social media, alongside age verification requirements.
• Notes: This is not a full ban, but it is one of the sharpest usage restrictions tried by a U.S. state.
• Sources:
  • Reuters — Judge blocks Virginia law restricting social media for children
  • Reuters — Virginia appeals injunction against social media time limit for children

Arkansas

• Status: Blocked / struck down
• Rule: Social media age-verification law aimed at stopping minors from opening accounts without parental consent.
• Notes: Arkansas was an early mover, but its law was blocked and later declared unconstitutional.
• Sources:
  • Arkansas Advocate — Arkansas social media age verification law struck down by federal court
  • Arkansas Advocate — Federal judge declares Arkansas social media age verification law unconstitutional

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Bottom line

Places with the clearest real-world bans/restrictions already operating or about to operate

• Australia — under-16 restrictions are in force
• Indonesia — under-16 restrictions begin rollout on 28 March 2026

Places strongly moving in that direction nationally

• France
• Spain
• Greece
• Malaysia
• Norway
• Slovenia
• Poland
• United Kingdom (consultation stage only)

State/province-level examples

• Karnataka, India — announced under-16 ban
• Florida, Utah, Ohio, Virginia, Arkansas (U.S.) — major laws or restrictions attempted, but several have been blocked or struck down in court

One-sentence takeaway

The global pattern right now is: Australia created the most concrete template, Indonesia is the newest national mover, Europe is filling up with proposals, Karnataka is the standout subnational example in India, and the U.S. has become the main battlefield where many state-level restrictions run into constitutional challenges.