Guide
Social media age limits in Europe, country by country.
Country after country is setting an age for social media, and the EU has proposed one for all of them. Most of it is not law yet.
In short. On 4 November 2026, no EU country has a social media ban for children in force. Greece’s ban for under-15s starts on 1 January 2027; France’s was struck down by its Constitutional Council in August 2026. The European Commission has proposed one rule for the whole EU, the KIDS Act: no accounts under 13, supervised accounts at 13 and 14, accounts of their own from 15. It is a proposal, not law. Outside the EU, Australia’s under-16 rule has applied since December 2025, and the UK plans one for spring 2027.
What applies in the EU today
- No EU minimum age for social media. Most large platforms set 13 in their own terms; in the Commission’s words, a date-of-birth box is today the only barrier.
- The Digital Services Act requires platforms to protect minors. Its guidelines of July 2025 are not binding; they recommend real age verification for adult content, such as pornography and gambling, and where a national law sets a minimum age.
- The GDPR’s age of consent. Where a service relies on consent to use a child’s data, a child can give it from 16, or from a lower age a country sets, not below 13. This is about data, not a ban, and it varies by country.
The EU’s proposal: the KIDS Act
On 17 September 2026 the Commission proposed the KIDS Act, a regulation that would apply the same way in every member state. Its age rules cover social networks and video-sharing services:
| Age | Under the proposal |
|---|---|
| Under 13 | No account. A parent may allow limited viewing of video services made for young children, through the parent’s own account. |
| 13 and 14 | An account set up and supervised by a parent: at most one hour a day, contacts approved by the parent, parental tools always on. |
| 15 and over | An account of their own, on services that must follow the law’s design rules for minors. |
The proposal also sets design rules for minors on social media, video, games, app stores and AI chatbots: no endless autoplay or scrolling without real breaks, no notifications meant to pull a child back, no “streaks” that punish a day away, feeds not built for engagement, and no contact from strangers without approval. AI companions and chatbots that minors can use may not imitate a relationship in a way likely to create emotional dependency. Fines could reach 6% of a company’s worldwide turnover.
Where it stands: the Parliament and the member states still have to agree on it, and it has no start date yet. Anyone can give the Commission feedback until 3 December 2026. Before the proposal, the European Parliament had called in a non-binding vote, on 26 November 2025, for 16 as the EU’s digital age, with parental consent below it and 13 as an absolute minimum.
Country by country
Status on 4 November 2026. “Age” is the age in the law or plan; “not law” means it can still change.
| Country | Where it stands | Age | Next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | Law passed on 23 October 2026 | 15 | In force 1 January 2027; platforms must check age |
| France | A 2026 law’s ban was struck down by the Constitutional Council on 14 August 2026 as a disproportionate limit on freedoms; a 2023 law was not brought into force | 15 (struck down) | No ban applies |
| Denmark | Government bill out for consultation since 7 September 2026 | 15 | To parliament early 2027; age checks planned from 1 July 2027 |
| Spain | Bill before parliament, in committee | 16 | Would also raise the data consent age from 14 to 16 and require parental controls on devices |
| Italy | Bills held in parliamentary committees | 15 in the main bill | No date |
| Portugal | Bill passed its first vote on 12 February 2026; in committee | 16; from 13 with verified parental consent | Final vote pending |
| Austria | Government draft, held back at EU level | 14 | Not before the end of July 2027, after the Commission extended the waiting period on 29 October 2026 |
| Germany | Government key points of 14 October 2026; no bill yet | 13 | Age checks through Germany’s EU digital wallet from 2027 |
| Poland | Government draft on the cabinet’s work plan, as reported by the PAP news agency | 15 | Cabinet decision planned for early 2027 |
| Netherlands | Advice to parents since June 2025, not law | 15 (advice) | Pushing for one EU rule |
| Sweden | Government inquiry proposal of June 2026, out for consultation | 15, from the year a child turns 15 | Start date not yet decided |
| Finland | A recommendation of January 2026; the government dropped a ban, Yle reported | 13 (recommendation) | None |
| Norway | Government proposal; bill expected | 16, from the year a child turns 16 | Full enforcement once the Digital Services Act is Norwegian law |
| Belgium | Under debate; a federal draft has not reached the cabinet | 15 proposed | No timeline |
| Ireland | No minimum-age bill; video platforms that allow pornography must check age | None set | Discussion at EU level |
| United Kingdom | Age checks for pornography and harmful content since 25 July 2025; an under-16 rule decided | 16 | Regulations by the end of 2026, in force in spring 2027 |
| Australia, for comparison | In force since 10 December 2025 | 16 | Platforms must take reasonable steps to keep under-16s off |
How age checks would work
Under the KIDS Act proposal, platforms would not see your ID. Age would be proved through approved tools that sit outside the platforms, among them a free EU age verification app and later the EU Digital Identity Wallet, and the platform would learn one thing: above or below the age. Every member state would have to offer at least one free way to prove your age, including for people without a digital ID. Existing accounts would be checked within six months of the rules applying; where a platform can already tell with high confidence that a user is an adult, no new check is needed. In April 2026 the Commission urged member states to make the age verification app available by the end of the year.
What families can do now
- Use the parental controls built into the phone and the apps; they work today, whatever the law.
- Know the school’s phone rules: phones in schools in Europe.
- Choosing the age for a first phone: official advice across Europe.
- Agree a few rules together: no phones in bedrooms at night, phone-free meals. More in your phone before bed.
- For the youngest children, the advice from health bodies: screen time for young children.
- Watch for the pattern, not the hours: problematic phone use.
The same design questions apply to adults: why the feed keeps you, and what helps, in doomscrolling. And the debate behind the age rules: The Anxious Generation.
Where we stand
We make Lychnos Ring for adults who want less of the feed in their own day. It has no feed and nothing to scroll: it answers, and goes quiet. It is in development.
Sources
Read on 4 November 2026. EU: the KIDS Act explained and the Commission’s announcement of 17 September 2026; Digital Services Act guidelines on minors, July 2025; the age verification recommendation, April 2026; European Parliament resolution, 26 November 2025. Countries: Greece, Reuters via Cyprus Mail; France, franceinfo and Assemblée nationale; Denmark, TV 2; Spain, Ministry of Justice; Italy, ANSA; Portugal, ECO; Austria, ORF; Germany, Federal Ministry for Families; Poland, PAP via farmer.pl; Netherlands, Rijksoverheid; Sweden, SOU 2026:35; Finland, Yle; Norway, Medietilsynet; Belgium, La Libre; Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán; United Kingdom, government response, July 2026; Australia, Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024. Laws and proposals change quickly; we update this page when they do. General information, not legal advice.
Questions
What is the minimum age for social media in the EU?
There is no EU-wide minimum age in force. In September 2026 the European Commission proposed one, the KIDS Act: no accounts under 13, accounts supervised by a parent at 13 and 14, and accounts of their own from 15. It still needs the agreement of the European Parliament and the member states.
Which European countries have banned social media for children?
On 4 November 2026, none had a ban in force. Greece's ban for under-15s starts on 1 January 2027. France passed one in 2026, but its Constitutional Council struck it down. Denmark, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Austria, Poland, Sweden and Norway have bills or drafts.