Vietnam Prepares to Limit Social Media for Children as Global Crackdowns Spread
Countries worldwide are moving to ban or restrict social media use among children and teens to tackle online threats, while Vietnam takes a middle ground allowing access with limited rights.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Vietnam is preparing a draft law allowing children under 16 to use social media, but with restricted rights prohibiting them from posting, commenting, or reacting.
- Australia became the first country in the world to enforce a social media ban for children under 16 in December 2025.
- Other countries such as France, Denmark, Greece, and Canada are gradually rolling out laws to regulate youth social media usage as well.
The global wave of regulating social media usage among children and teenagers is spreading rapidly. Recently, Vietnam has been considering a draft law that is uniquely different from other nations. Instead of completely banning children from accessing platforms, the Vietnamese government has proposed allowing kids to log in while restricting their use through engagement blocking.
Under a draft decree by Vietnam's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism reported by Reuters, users under 16 will still be able to have social media accounts, but will lose the ability to post content, leave comments, or like various posts. Furthermore, the proposal states that children's accounts must be registered under their parents' names, who will be responsible for monitoring the content their children access as well as their screen time. Meanwhile, social media platforms themselves must implement technical measures to identify child users and restrict them to age-appropriate content only.
Vietnam's approach is creative and novel, but it is not acting alone. Over the past few months, several countries around the world have announced plans to restrict social media access for children and teens. Australia set a new precedent by becoming the first country to enforce such measures late last year, followed by France and other nations steadily announcing similar policies.
The growing youth social media restrictions around the world reflect governments' shared concerns over the psychological and developmental impacts on children in the digital age. The fact that different countries choose varying methods—such as Australia's outright ban or Vietnam's restricted rights approach—highlights the challenge of balancing youth safety with freedom of information, which remains a major international debate concerning effectiveness and privacy.
Stock photo illustration, not from actual events
Regulations and proposals pushed by governments worldwide share a common goal of reducing the pressure and risks young users may face on social media platforms, including cyberbullying, social media addiction, mental health issues, and falling prey to malicious actors. However, amidst these efforts, concerns remain regarding privacy intrusions from age verification processes, alongside criticisms from organizations such as Amnesty Tech stating that such bans may be ineffective and ignore the realities of the younger generation. Nevertheless, many countries continue pushing forward with their laws.
The situation in other countries shows various interesting updates:
- Australia: Became the first country to ban social media for children under 16 in December 2025, covering major platforms and setting maximum fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars for non-compliant companies.
- France: Passed a law on July 21st to ban social media access for individuals under 15, which could take effect as early as September 1st.
- Greece: Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced in April that the country will ban social media for children under 15 starting January 1st, 2027, to address anxiety and sleep problems.
- Denmark: Plans to ban social media platforms for children under 15, with the proposal potentially taking effect as law by mid-2026.
Source: TechCrunch
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