Overview
- New Statista data shows France and the United Kingdom have each advanced measures through one parliamentary chamber, with France targeting under‑15s and the UK pursuing an under‑16 cutoff.
- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez proposed a nationwide under‑16 ban that still requires parliamentary approval, as EU discussions include a nonbinding call for a harmonized minimum age of 16.
- Greece, Indonesia, Malaysia and New Zealand have announced plans for under‑16 bans, Austria is weighing an under‑14 limit, and Portugal and Denmark are exploring parental‑consent models rather than outright prohibitions.
- Reporting from Australia, the first country to enforce an under‑16 cutoff, highlights easy workarounds like fake birthdays alongside privacy concerns from mandatory age checks, with past leaks such as Discord’s theft of at least 70,000 ID images underscoring the risks.
- In India and South Korea, officials are proceeding cautiously as teens and experts warn of weak real‑world enforcement, high VPN use, jurisdiction hurdles and potential rights harms, with Korea’s regulator consulting students and an Indian rights advocate urging design‑focused reforms over blanket bans.