Global push to regulate kid’s digital habits gains momentum

Anadolu, Philippine News Agency

Excessive screen time, particularly among children and adolescents, has raised concerns about issues such as manipulation, digital bullying, disinformation, hate speech, explicit content, privacy violations, fraud, and cybersecurity. (Pexels Photo)

ISTANBUL – Countries are increasingly imposing restrictions on children and adolescents due to concerns about the amount of time spent online, which has grown with the widespread use of social media.

Austria recently announced that starting May 1, mobile phones and smartwatches will be banned in primary and secondary schools, sparking renewed attention on digital device restrictions.

Excessive screen time, particularly among children and adolescents, has raised concerns about issues such as manipulation, digital bullying, disinformation, hate speech, explicit content, privacy violations, fraud, and cybersecurity. As a result, countries are implementing new regulations, restrictions, and bans on smartphones and social media platforms.

Research shows that excessive use of social media and smartphones contributes to mental health issues in children, including anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depression, as well as physical health problems like poor posture and obesity.

Anadolu compiled a list of restrictions that countries have imposed or plan to impose on digital devices and social media platforms due to concerns over the growing trend of children and youth spending excessive time online.

Europe

In many European countries, laws require parental consent for children of certain ages to use social media.

In Austria, a new regulation set to take effect on May 1 will prohibit the use of digital devices such as mobile phones and smartwatches in primary and secondary schools.

Students will be allowed brief communication with their families but are prohibited from using these devices during school hours.

Teachers will be allowed to temporarily confiscate the phones of students who do not comply with the regulation. In the case of repeated violations, confiscated phones will only be returned to parents.

In 2023, France passed a law requiring parental consent for children under 15 to create social media accounts. A commission chaired by President Emmanuel Macron recommended even stricter measures in April 2024, including a ban on mobile phones for children under 11 and restricting internet-connected phones for those under 13.

In Germany, children under 16 are required to have parental consent to use social media. However, enforcement is difficult due to challenges in verifying parental consent during registration, as well as users potentially providing false birthdates. The state government of Hessen is reportedly planning to ban smartphone use in schools.

Belgium’s 2018 law requires children to be at least 13 to open a social media account with parental consent, while in Italy, children must be at least 14.

The Americas

Several countries in the Americas are also implementing regulations to address the potential negative effects of social media on children.

In the United States, while policies vary between states, access to mobile phones is partially or entirely banned in schools across states such as California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia.

Florida became the first US state to restrict phone use in schools after passing a law in 2023 that bans mobile phone use during class time in public schools and blocks access to social media via school Wi-Fi networks.

While such restrictions are being debated in other states, it is noted that due to the frequent occurrence of school shootings in the US, many parents are concerned about limiting phone access in the case of emergencies.

In Venezuela, authorities are debating restrictions on children’s use of social media.

After blaming TikTok “challenge videos” for the deaths of three children, the company was warned to take preventive measures. On December 31, 2024, Venezuela’s Supreme Court fined TikTok $10 million for failing to implement these measures.

On Jan. 13, 2025, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a law banning the use of mobile phones in primary and secondary schools.

The regulation allows phones to be used only for pedagogical purposes and under the supervision of teachers.

Asia and Australia

On Nov. 28, 2024, the Australian Senate passed a bill banning social media access for children under 16, making it the first country to do so.

The law, which will go into effect after a 12-month period to allow social media companies to implement necessary changes, will impose fines of up to approximately $33 million on global platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, Instagram, and X if they fail to comply.

Following Australia’s decision, Indonesia’s Mental Health Director Imran Pambudi of the Health Ministry suggested that Indonesia may also take similar steps.

Noting that monitoring children’s social media use is a family responsibility, Pambudi stated that implementing a regulation banning social media for minors could take at least three years to implement.

In India, there is no regulation on age restrictions for social media use, but under the 2023 Digital Personal Data Protection Act, children under 18 must obtain “verifiable parental consent” for the processing of their personal data. However, this does not limit their access to social media.

South Korea currently does not impose restrictions on children’s access to social media, but the Seoul government is considering implementing an age restriction of either 14 or 16 years for social media accounts. (Anadolu)