Austria’s government on Friday approved plans to introduce a nationwide ban on social media use for children under the age of 14, alongside reforms to upper secondary school curricula aimed at boosting media literacy and Artificial Intelligence (AI) education from the 2027/28 academic year.
Speaking at a press conference, Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler said social media platforms had “negative effects on young people” and emphasised the need for age limits comparable to those applied to substances and certain types of media content.
He added that the ban would be enforced nationally, while Austria continues to push for similar measures at the European Union level.
Under the proposed education reforms, a new standalone subject focused on media literacy will be introduced in upper-secondary schools. This will be accompanied by fewer teaching hours for Latin and second foreign languages.
Informatics lessons will also be expanded to include AI, focusing on helping students understand digital systems and assess both the risks and opportunities they present.
Secretary of the Digital State Alexander Proll said a legislative proposal detailing how the age restriction will be enforced is expected by the end of June 2025. The system will rely on age-verification methods designed to confirm users’ ages while protecting their privacy.
The government has ruled out introducing a mandatory real-name policy but said it would strengthen enforcement against misuse of user data and enhance cooperation between social media companies and authorities to tackle online harm.
French President Emmanuel Macron responded to the announcement on X, writing: “Thanks for joining the movement.”
Austria’s move reflects a growing global trend to restrict minors’ access to social media.
Countries in Europe that have restricted or banned social media use among teenagers include:
Australia banned social media use for children under 16 in December 2025, while France plans to introduce further restrictions for users under 15 from September 2026.
Other European countries, including Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom, are also considering similar policies.
The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has welcomed the renewed focus on online safety but cautions that restrictive measures must be carefully calibrated.
Speaking with Anadolu in December 2025, Aaron Greenberg, UNICEF regional adviser for child protection in Europe and Central Asia, said that limiting access to social media can, in some cases, help children focus and learn with fewer impediments.
The European Commission on 26 January 2026 formally designated WhatsApp as a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under the Digital Services Act (DSA), as its “Channels” feature reaches at least 45 million users in the EU.
The report described WhatsApp as “a hybrid service combining private messaging features with those of an online platform.”
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