In the wake of US social media verdicts, a look at what limits other countries have imposed for kids
In the wake of US social media verdicts, a look at what limits other countries have imposed for kids
Publish Date: 2026-03-28 17:25:00
Source Domain: www.timesfreepress.com
Dual jury verdicts this week have validated longstanding concerns about the dangers of social media for young people. But the U.S. lacks federal regulation that meaningfully addresses these harms.
On Wednesday, a Los Angeles jury found both Meta and YouTube liable for harms to children using their services. A day earlier in New Mexico, a jury determined that Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms.
Although parents and children’s advocates cheered the decisions, they argue that without federal regulation to rein in the companies, platforms like Instagram, YouTube and TikTok are unlikely to implement any meaningful change. Many are pinning their hopes on the Kids Online Safety Act, a bill aimed at protecting kids from the harms of social media, gaming sites and other online platforms. It won Senate approval in 2024 but has lingered since.
Other countries, meanwhile, have implemented — or are planning — a bevy of restrictions on children’s online activities, ranging from social media bans to requiring younger teens to link their accounts to a parent’s. Here’s a look at how countries outside the United States are regulating kids and technology.
Australia bans kids under 16 from social media
In 2024, Australia became the first country to kick kids under 16 off social media. The law makes platforms — including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram — liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($34 million) if they fail to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts. While many parents have cheered the move, some experts have questioned the efficacy of their age estimation methods (the platforms are not required to ask users for government-issued IDs) and their effects on young people’s free speech, social connections and privacy. Critics also fear that the ban will impact the privacy of all users who must prove they are older than 16.
Brazil…
