Austria to Ban Social Media for Children Under Age 14

Austria has set its sights on social media use by young people, announcing plans to prohibit access for children up to the age of 14—arguing the platforms drive addiction, amplify violence, fuel misinformation and pressure children into unrealistic beauty ideals.

Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler said it is “almost impossible for parents to control their children’s consumption” on services that, he argued, are built to keep users “deliberately dependent.” Speaking at a press conference, he said the government’s approach focuses on how the platforms are engineered to sustain attention and engagement.

The government, with a population of 9.2 million, aims to present the new legislation “as early as this summer” so it can take effect “as quickly as possible,” Babler added.

Under the proposal, Austria would target companies that rely on “algorithms that create addiction, generate profits and have harmful effects,” according to Babler.

However, he said the coalition’s three governing parties still have not reached agreement on the verification method that will accompany the ban.

Austria to target platforms using ‘algorithms that create addiction, generate profits and have harmful effects’

The announcement comes after a three-week “no mobile phone” trial run by the education ministry, involving 72,000 pupils and their families, recently concluded in Austria.

Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr told the same press conference that early feedback suggested the exercise acted as a “kind of withdrawal experience” for students and helped them recognize the harms tied to excessive use.

Alongside the proposed restriction, the Austrian government plans to introduce a new compulsory school subject, “Media and Democracy,” designed to help students separate fact from falsehood and identify anti-democratic efforts to influence public opinion.

The far-right FPÖ party condemned the move as an attack on free speech, calling it a “frontal assault on freedom of expression.”

“Now that critical voices, alternative media and patriotic forces are gaining reach on social networks, they suddenly want to impose bans and censorship measures,” FPÖ MP Katayun Pracher-Hilander said.

Several EU member states have also signaled plans for a digital “age of majority” for social networks, including France, Spain and Denmark, while Ireland is considering similar steps.

Across the Atlantic, a Los Angeles civil court on Wednesday found Meta and Google liable for contributing to a teenage girl’s depression through Instagram and YouTube. The court also ruled that the companies failed to sufficiently warn young users about the risks associated with overconsumption, despite having knowledge of those dangers.

Earlier on Tuesday, a jury in Santa Fe found Meta liable for endangering underage users of Facebook and Instagram.