Netherlands latest European country to mull social media ban for children

European governments are advancing restrictions on minors’ access to social media: the Dutch minority government proposes an EU-wide minimum age of 15 with privacy-friendly age verification, stricter platform transparency on algorithms and revenue, rapid removal of illegal content, and limitations on “addictive” algorithms, alongside school smartphone restrictions. Similar actions include France’s law banning under-15 access (effective September), the UK’s consideration of an under-16 ban, and Australia’s implemented ban that led to millions of child accounts being deactivated.