Portugal joins international push for limits on social media access by teens
Law makers in Portugal have approved a bill banning the use of social media by under-16s.
The ban primarily affects Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, which will only be accislbe with parental consent. parents regularly use to keep tabs on their children.
Children younger than 13 will not be allowed on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok at all.
WhatsApp has escaped the ire of the government owing to its widespread use by parents to stay in contact with their children.
“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,” read the proposal.
Supervision will be vested in government agencies Anacom and CNPD.
Australia implemented the first global ban in 2025 with mixed-to-positive results. While it has been generally accepted that less time on social media has been a net positive for teens’ mental health, the measures put in place to restrict its use have been shown to be fairly easily bypassed.
The ‘cordon sanitaire’ around social media towards children in Europe is rapidly closing. The UK, Denmark, France, Spain, Greece, Solovenia and the Netherlands have or will have legislation imposing similar restrictions on companies like Meta and ByteDance.
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