Austria wants to follow Australia’s example and introduce a social media ban for children under 14. As reported by the Ö1 “Morgenjournal” on Tuesday, citing State Secretary Alexander Pröll (ÖVP), the ban is to take effect at the start of the new school year. Work is already underway behind the scenes to determine what a technical solution could look like in order to implement the measure by fall 2026, Pröll said. Austria apparently no longer wants to wait for an EU-wide solution, which is already in development.
As a first step, experts—together with representatives of the political parties—are now set to meet to work out the details of the concept. With regard to technical options, Pröll stressed that Austria could “of course look to Australia.” There, responsibility lies with the platforms themselves to enforce the age limit of 16 for social media use introduced last December. “That could be one option,” the state secretary said. Within 30 days, nearly 4.7 million accounts belonging to underage children were blocked in Australia. However, the Australian model has loopholes and is frequently circumvented by teenagers.
Resistance has so far come from coalition partner NEOS. Its media spokesperson, Henrike Brandstötter, said she “absolutely rejects an Australian model.” “We can see in the United States what happens when tech oligarchs collect data and politics then uses it as a weapon against citizens,” she said. Brandstötter favors waiting for a further development of ID Austria within an EU framework, which she said would not be possible until 2027.
EU Also Planning Restrictions
EU heads of state and government had already spoken out in favor of age limits at their summit at the end of October, stating that it was important to protect minors in the digital space, including through a minimum age for access to social media. At the time, the European Parliament called for a minimum age of 13 for the use of social media, video platforms, and AI companions. An initiative report on protecting children and adolescents in the digital environment, adopted by a large majority, calls on the European Commission to set a corresponding age limit by the end of 2026.
Pröll emphasized that he also prefers a European solution but does not want to wait any longer. Media Minister Andreas Babler (SPÖ) has repeatedly pointed to the end of 2025 as the deadline for a European approach, after which a national solution would be required. State Secretary Jörg Leichtfried (SPÖ) recently also spoke in favor of introducing a ban this year in an interview with Ö1.
