Poland joins Spain in move to ban social media for children under 15

Poland is reportedly working to implement a nationwide ban on social media for children under the age of 15. The move aims to address growing concerns over mental health, online safety, holding platforms responsible for age verification. The ruling Civic Coalition is set to present the draft online on Friday, with fines planned for platforms that remain accessible to younger users. The law is expected to take effect by early 2027.

In this connection, Nowacka said: “We see the mental health of children and young people, we see a decline in their intellectual competence.” Further it was clarified that the size of penalties that companies would have to pay is still under discussion. The British government said in January it was considering restrictions to protect children online following the implementation of similar laws made by Australia in December.

A trial involving internet giants Meta and YouTube began Monday in a Los Angeles civil court and could set a major legal precedent regarding the civil liability of social media operators. Meta and YouTube fostered pathological internet use in children, a lawyer for the plaintiff said on Monday.

“This case is about two of the richest operations in history who have engineered addiction in children’s brains,” the attorney, Mark Lanier told the jury in his opening statement.”

Nonetheless, the recent decision will play a central role in improving the well-being of minors in the wake of the increasing harm developing in children from social platforms.