Portugal has become the latest country moving towards a potential social media ban for children.
The Parliament voted in favour of bill which requires parental authorisation for users under ages 13 to 16 and prevent children under 13 from even signing up on social media apps, Anadolu Agency reported.
The bill has presented as a measure to protect children from online bullying, anxiety, addictive behaviour and mental health risks. The bill covers social media apps such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, but does not include messaging services like WhatsApp.
The socialist party has been reported as requiring a guarantee from companies and platforms “to prevent exposure to violence, early sexual content, addictive games, manipulated videos, manipulated images”.
Some of the key features of the bill include: making it impossible for children under the age of 13 to register a new social media account; and children between 13 to 16 years would require a mechanism for them to be identified and only their age to be seen.
“The minimum digital age for autonomous access to social networking platforms, video-sharing services and open communication services is set at 16; children aged 13 or over can only access them with (…) express and verified parental consent,” reads the proposal.
Children under the age of 13 “may not access platforms, services, games and applications covered by this law.”
Earlier it was reported that the French government is preparing a fresh effort to protect young people from excessive screen time and online risks by proposing a ban on social media for children under 15. According to a draft law seen by AFP, the measure would make it illegal for social-media platforms to offer services to anyone under the age of 15 by September 2026.
In December 2025, Australia became the first country to ban young teenagers from social media .A raft of the world’s most popular apps and websites face US$33 million fines if they fail to purge Australia-based users younger than 16.
