Podcast Episode
In Europe, momentum has accelerated dramatically. France's National Assembly approved legislation in late January banning social media for children under fifteen, with the law expected to take effect by September. Spain announced plans to prohibit access for those under sixteen, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declaring children face a digital Wild West. Greece, Slovenia, Denmark, and Portugal have all moved forward with similar measures.
The global regulatory shift represents a fundamental move away from relying on simple age checkboxes toward requiring platforms to implement robust verification systems and take greater responsibility for protecting young users.
India Joins Global Push to Restrict Children's Social Media Access
February 18, 2026
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India's IT Minister has confirmed the government is in active discussions with social media platforms about age-based restrictions, making it the latest major nation to consider curbing children's access. The move comes amid a wave of legislative action across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, with over a dozen countries now pursuing bans or restrictions.
India Enters the Global Social Media Debate
India's Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed on Tuesday that the government is in active discussions with social media platforms about implementing age-based restrictions for children. Speaking at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Vaishnaw said the conversations also cover deepfake regulation, marking the first federal-level acknowledgment from the world's most populous country on the issue.A Growing International Coalition
The announcement places India alongside a rapidly growing list of nations taking action. Australia led the charge in December 2025, becoming the first country to ban social media access for under-sixteens on major platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and YouTube, with non-compliant platforms facing fines of up to forty-nine point five million Australian dollars.In Europe, momentum has accelerated dramatically. France's National Assembly approved legislation in late January banning social media for children under fifteen, with the law expected to take effect by September. Spain announced plans to prohibit access for those under sixteen, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declaring children face a digital Wild West. Greece, Slovenia, Denmark, and Portugal have all moved forward with similar measures.
The Verification Challenge
Five EU countries are now piloting a European Commission age verification application expected to launch in app stores in the coming months. The privacy-focused tool provides age certificates without storing personal data, built on the same technical specifications as European Digital Identity Wallets. Platforms will not be required to use the EU tool but must prove any alternative system is equally effective.Beyond Europe
Malaysia began requiring social media platforms to ban users under sixteen from January 2026, while Brazil passed legislation requiring age verification and parental consent for children's accounts, expected to take effect in March. The UK government has launched a consultation on implementing its own under-sixteen ban, with results expected by summer.The global regulatory shift represents a fundamental move away from relying on simple age checkboxes toward requiring platforms to implement robust verification systems and take greater responsibility for protecting young users.
Published February 18, 2026 at 1:09am
