By Adam Clark
Meta Platforms, Snap and Reddit have been hit by Australia's ban on social media for children. Now the U.K. and France are considering similar measures.
Australia became the first country in the world to enact a social-media ban for under-16s in December after a law that requires 10 popular social-media platforms to prevent anyone under that age from holding an account took effect. Meta's Facebook and Instagram, Snap's Snapchat and Reddit were among the platforms required to implement the restrictions.
The threat looks to be spreading. Lawmakers in both the U.K. and France have called for similar action, with the governments of both European countries expressing some support for stronger restrictions on social-media use by children.
"I think we need to do more to protect children. And that's why we're looking at a range of options and saying that no options are off the table," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a press conference Monday.
Starmer's statement came after 61 members of his ruling Labour Party signed an open letter calling for an Australia-style ban on social media access for under-16s. Last week, leader of the opposition Conservative party Kemi Badenoch said she would introduce an under-16s ban if her party won the next election.
Meanwhile, France's President Emmanuel Macron has voiced support for a ban on social media for under-15s, with a draft bill on the topic currently being debated in the French parliament.
Social-media companies are looking to ward off the danger. Reddit has filed a lawsuit in Australia's highest court against the ban, while Meta has publicly stated its opposition to the prohibition. Snap has argued that the ban may push children to "less safe" messaging apps.
Still, the Australian government has said social-media companies are complying, having deactivated more than 4.7 million under-16 accounts within days of the law coming into effect on Dec. 10. Meta has disclosed that it removed nearly such 550,000 accounts between Dec. 4-11.
In the U.S., more than a dozen individual states have taken various actions to restrict the use of social media by children, with events in Florida being particularly closely watched this year for a precedent across the country.
Florida is set to begin enforcing a 2024 law that banned social media for children under 14, while requiring parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds, after an appeals court lifted a temporary injunction on its enforcement late last year. However, technology industry groups which count Google, Meta and Snap among their members are continuing with a federal case against the law.
Write to Adam Clark at adam.clark@barrons.com
This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 19, 2026 11:02 ET (16:02 GMT)
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