Netherlands wants to ban social media for under-15s

(Patria) - Three parties forming the new Dutch minority government have proposed raising the age limit for using social media in the country to 15.

With this move, the Netherlands joins countries like France that advocate for banning access to social media for those under that age, and the proposal is part of a coalition plan presented yesterday, writes Politico.

The ruling coalition consists of the centrist D66 party, the Christian Democratic CDA, and the liberal VVD, but they will need the support of other parties to implement their plans as they collectively hold only 66 out of 150 seats in parliament.

The parties advocate for a "feasible European age limit of 15 years for social media, with age verification that protects the privacy of young people, until social media becomes sufficiently safe," their plan states.

The current minimum age for using social media in the EU is 13 years.

The coalition program also envisages reducing the time young people spend in front of screens through preventive measures and health guidelines.

Stricter rules for smartphones in schools are also planned, according to which students would have to leave their devices at home or in school lockers.

As early as June last year, the previous Dutch government recommended that parents not allow children to use social media before the age of 15.

In France, earlier this week, the lower house of parliament adopted a bill to ban social media for under-15s, which could come into effect as early as September.

Australia took a similar step in December 2025, banning children from accessing a range of platforms.

The new Dutch government has also announced an initiative to strengthen digital sovereignty and reduce "strategic dependencies" in key areas such as cloud services and data.