Article by Serena Urbano
Banning minors from social media: from Australian law to the French case
On 10 December 2025, Australia became the first country in the world to introduce the’Online safety amendment, a ban on social networking for children under 16 years of age. In Europe, the French National Assembly passed a bill on 27 January 2026 to ban the use of social networks by children under 15 from 2027. The same legislation includes an obligation for platforms to verify that this age limit is respected for both new registrations and already registered users.
In both cases, the motivations behind the introduction of the ban are the need to limit the negative impacts that social media can have on the mental health of children. The problem, in fact, is not only the overexposure of minors to violent, sexually explicit, or disturbing content, but also a series of risks arising from the interaction with the intrinsic dynamics of how social networks work: from gratification mechanisms (e.g., the “like”), to actual methods used to keep users as long as possible within the platform. In fact, there are more and more studies confirming problems related to the use of social networks such as addiction, attention deficit, depression and anxiety, which become even more significant when the subjects are children in the age of development.
Consequently, in order to protect minors, a ban was chosen. And to require platform managers to check that only those above a certain age threshold can register on the social network. Obviously, by introducing age verification mechanisms.
Age verification systems: not just a privacy issue.
Verifying the age of social members is an obligation that requires the use of certain control tools, with more or less invasive checks. Some measures allow the user's age to be estimated from his behaviour, or facial features from a selfie, through Artificial Intelligence systems. Others involve combining identity document scanning with facial scanning, similar to some online anti-money laundering verification systems, and the application of “KYC” procedures (Know Your Customer).
This means collecting and using a lot more personal data, with all the risks that can arise in the event of misuse or lack of adequate security. The problem, however, is not only one of privacy, but of effectiveness. In fact, there is the distinct possibility not only that these measures will be easily circumvented, but also that they will have quite significant margins of error. The latter is already the case and has been encountered several times in the application of age estimation technologies which, at the moment, present reliability problems.
The importance of digital education.
The protection of minors online is an extremely important and topical issue, which is why politicians are also looking for solutions through standards and technology. At present, there is no single solution that can be said to be functional and effective at 100%, but this cannot be a reason to give up. Rather, it must serve as a stimulus to consider approaches that are able to act on several factors, with the involvement of different professionalism and experience from which the policy maker can draw. Pedagogy, neuroscience, social psychology and technology, for example, are all subjects that can offer useful insights and guidance.
The role of the’digital education, of both adults and minors, is and remains, however, a fundamental element to support any solution one wishes to undertake. In fact, understanding technologies and the dynamics of their operation, as well as the responsibilities and risks arising from their use, has the effect of generally and widely increasing their conscious and safe use. This has a positive spin-off for the benefit of all, including minors.
Serena Urbano
