Overview
- Britain has opened a public consultation through May that could consider an Australia-style under‑16 restriction.
- Students interviewed in London acknowledged harms from apps such as TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat yet opposed a ban, citing social connection and easy workarounds.
- Researchers advising lawmakers said blanket age bans lack proof of effectiveness and warned that enforcement against 14–15-year-olds with established accounts would be difficult.
- Australia’s under‑16 law is in force, with about 4.7 million accounts removed, but industry data indicated roughly one‑fifth of under‑16s were still using social media two months after rollout.
- Japan’s Children and Families Agency panel is preparing summer recommendations on youth social media use, weighing age verification and design curbs alongside rights concerns after police logged 1,566 child victims in crimes linked to platforms last year.