Under-16s Banned from Social Media in Australia, Experts Say Japan Should Follow

The Yomiuri Shimbun

7:00 JST, March 17, 2026

In December, Australia banned children under 16 from using social media, becoming the first country to do so. The move was made in response to reports of online sexual abuse and bullying, in addition to cases of children being driven to suicide because of social media content.

The Social Media Minimum Age law prohibits under-16s from using 10 platforms, including X, Instagram and YouTube. It requires social media companies to prevent users under 16 from having accounts, imposing fines of up to about ¥5.5 billion on companies which violated the law.

According to the Australian government, about 4.7 million social media accounts have been deleted or deactivated since the ban took effect.

In Europe, France is discussing a bill that would ban under-15s from social media which, if passed, would take effect in September. Spain and Germany are considering similar legislations.

Britain is exploring regulations to ban social media for under-16s. It already has mandated social media companies to prevent minors from accessing harmful content.

While there are no nationwide regulations in the United States, states including Utah and New York have introduced restrictions on social media use in an effort to protect minors.

Adverse effects on mental health

Increasing social media regulation stems not only from a focus on the risk of crime, but also the adverse effects on children’s mental health, according to Japan’s Children and Families Agency.

“Children, who are still physically and developmentally immature, are prone to social media addiction, which could hinder healthy development. While drawing on examples from other countries, we need to create effective regulations tailored to the current situation in Japan,” said Tomoko Yamamoto, a certified psychotherapist at the Center for Research and Development of Education Systems at Nara Women’s University.