Social Media and Children: How to Protect Your Child from Dangerous and Inappropriate Content

How to protect your child from dangerous and inappropriate content? Different countries have different experiences, such as bans.

Australia became the first country in the world to legally restrict access to social media for children and adolescents under 16. More and more countries, including the UK, France, and Spain, to name just a few, are considering introducing similar restrictions, following Australia's example. This has sparked a significant public outcry. Is forbidden fruit sweet, or will such restrictions help protect the younger generation?

As a reminder, the Australian government has been banning young Australians since December 2025 (requiring major platforms to block over a million accounts). The social network's justifications do not protect children from harmful content. The law has been criticized by major tech companies, bloggers, and teenagers themselves. However, parents have praised it. Responsibility for non-compliance lies with the online platforms themselves.

Sergei Klishevich, Member of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus

Sergei Klishevich, Member of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus: "Of course, our format for working and combating, for example, negative social networks, is, firstly, democratic, and secondly, it truly allows us to effectively address the issues, challenges, and threats that these social networks pose to our society and our youth."

French MPs recently supported a similar ban. 130 members of parliament voted in favor, while 21 voted against. At the request of the French President, the government initiated an expedited review process for the bill.

Macron on Social Media and Children

News about plans to introduce internet restrictions for teenagers around the world are breaking fast. Spain will ban children under 16 from social media. Platforms will be required to implement age verification systems. The UK, Greece, and Austria are also exploring similar measures.

Daria Chigrina, influencer blogger: "I'm generally against complete restrictions because they always backfire. You want to make things worse, even worse. So, of course, social media is harmful to some extent, especially for the younger generation, but at the same time, as a blogger, it brings me great benefits. I can earn money, connect, attract new advertisers, meet new people, and get involved in new projects. Therefore, I believe that, of course, there shouldn't be complete bans. Perhaps parental controls could be an option."

In Belarus, regulation of the digital environment, primarily for children, has existed for several decades. On January 17, 2026, important amendments to the Law of the Republic of Belarus on Children's Rights, dated November 19, 1993, came into effect. A set of innovations is related to protecting children from information harmful to their health and development.

Digital technologies offer unique opportunities for learning and development, but they also create numerous risks. Among these, cyberbullying, involvement in illegal activities, including destructive groups, and fraud are particularly worrisome. The list goes on. On social media, is it the main evil or a tool to befriend? And where is this fine line drawn?