Social media restrictions for young people are becoming a worldwide phenomenon. Australia and the United Kingdom have already introduced bans on social media accounts for children under 16, while Türkiye introduced its own restrictions for youth under 15 in April 2026. Several countries such as New Zealand, France, Spain and Slovakia are also moving in the same direction.
The lawsuit filed by 29 U.S. states against Meta, alleging that its platforms were designed to foster addiction among children, and concerns regarding their potential impact on children’s mental health, highlight the serious consequences of designing digital platforms to keep young people engaged for extended periods.
These developments show growing concerns about the impact of social media on children and teenagers, but also raise an important question: whether the restrictions are enough to protect young people. Moreover, before taking a position on social media restrictions, it is important to understand the developmental needs of adolescence and the impact of social media on young people.
From a social and cognitive perspective, adolescence is characterized by a stronger attachment to peers than family, increased attention to appearance and the outside world, a desire to assert one’s own opinions and gain peer approval, resistance to rules and authority, and, at times, a need for solitude. It is one of the most intense periods of social identity exploration.
