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Austria has announced plans to ban social media for children under the age of 14, joining a growing list of countries implementing online restrictions for minors. The decision follows negotiations within the nation's three-party coalition government. While Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler stated the ban is necessary to prevent children from becoming "addicted" or "ill," the government has not yet provided specific details on how or when the policy will be enforced.
He said it was the responsibility of politicians to protect children and argued that the issue should be treated no different to alcohol or tobacco: "There must be clear rules in the digital world too."
In future, said Babler, children under 14 would be protected from algorithms that were addictive.
Austria is the latest among a growing number of countries to consider restricting social media access for children, citing concerns about potentially harmful content made available to them on the platforms.
In a landmark case in the US on Wednesday, a jury found two social media giants had intentionally built addictive algorithms that harmed young people's mental health.
Social media companies point to under-13s being disallowed from joining their platforms - though questions remain about how strictly this is enforced - and versions of their sites with parental controls when challenged on questions of harm.
Australia introduced a ban for under-16s in December, becoming the first nation to do so.
France's lower house approved a ban for under-15s in January. In a post on X French President Emmanuel Macron thanked Austria for "joining the movement".
The UK government has launched a consultation on banning social media for under-16s, while Denmark, Greece, Spain and Ireland are also considering similar moves: Spain and Ireland for under-16s, and Denmark and Greece for under-15s.
Austrian Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr, from the liberal Neos party, stressed the "harmful" nature of social media, adding: "People need to learn how to use it responsibly."
The state secretary for digitalisation, Alexander Pröll, from the conservative ÖVP, said that a draft bill codifying the ban would be presented by the end of June.
