Sunday, February 22, 2026 2:41 pm –
Jerusalem time
The world is currently witnessing a radical shift in how governments deal with the digital space, as the focus has moved from merely raising awareness about digital education to imposing strict legislative restrictions. Countries are rushing to redraw the boundaries of what might be called ‘digital adulthood’, amid growing concerns about the influence of algorithms that lure the attention of minors and expose them to violent or inappropriate content.
The smartphone is no longer just an entertainment tool, but has become a gateway to dangers beyond children’s ability to comprehend, especially with the rise of generative artificial intelligence. This technical development has prompted several countries to adopt measures ranging from direct bans, requiring parental approval, or requiring companies to use strict age verification mechanisms before creating any account.
Australia is at the forefront of this global scene after adopting a legal framework at the end of 2025 that prevents those under the age of sixteen from using social media platforms. Under this law, technology companies will remove about 4.7 million accounts of minors by the beginning of 2026, to avoid hefty fines that could amount to $33 million.
On the European continent, France took a similar path by passing a law prohibiting the use of social media for those under 15 years of age, while banning mobile phones in secondary schools. These measures are expected to come into full effect by September 2026, presenting platforms with a technical challenge to disable underage accounts.
Portugal has adopted a different model that focuses on the role of the family, as the new law requires explicit parental consent for children between 13 and 16 years old via the “portable digital key” system. This approach aims to involve parents as digital intermediaries, while ensuring the implementation of the already existing ban on those under the age of thirteen.
The moves are driven by troubling reports of cyberbullying, sleep disturbances and decreased concentration in teens due to excessive use. Leaks from within major technology companies also revealed that priority was always given to profits and growth at the expense of the safety of young users, which made governments lose confidence in companies’ self-censorship.
Artificial intelligence has added a new dimension to risks, especially with the ability of some tools to generate fabricated images of a sexual nature targeting children. Human rights sources monitored raids on the offices of major platforms in Paris, and official investigations in Britain into the ability of chatbots to produce offensive content without the consent of the image owners.
Focusing on age exclusion may distract from the more difficult challenge, which is forcing tech companies to make their platforms more child-friendly.
UNICEF has warned that more than a million children have had their photos manipulated and turned into fake sexual content in just one year. The international organization called on governments to expand the definition of sexual assault material to include machine-generated content, and to criminalize its production or possession in any form.
Britain was one of the first countries to respond to these warnings by announcing its intention to criminalize the use of artificial intelligence tools to produce child abuse material. This legislation represents a qualitative shift in legal accountability, as it links technical development with direct criminal liability for developers and users alike.
Despite these laws, there are major technical and legal challenges related to age verification mechanisms without compromising the privacy of sensitive data. The use of official identity documents or facial fingerprints raises human rights organizations’ concerns about turning social platforms into an extension of the state’s supervisory records.
Technical experts point out that it is easy to circumvent these restrictions by using virtual private networks (VPN) or faking dates of birth. In Australia, reports revealed that some platforms are still content with manually entering age without actual verification, which sometimes makes the new laws merely theoretical texts.
Another point of view warns that a blanket ban could lead to a ‘migration’ of teens towards closed and more dangerous messaging apps. They believe that preventing a child from entering the digital world until a certain age and then suddenly releasing him is like throwing a person into the ocean without teaching him how to swim, which requires gradual safety training.
Some platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, are moving to provide “teen accounts” that include default security features and a reduction in nightly notifications. This approach seeks to address the ‘architecture’ of the digital product itself rather than a total ban, which some see as a more realistic and sustainable solution in the current digital age.
Ultimately, the world appears to be moving towards a new ‘digital social contract’ that places child protection at the core of legislative priorities. The success of this wave depends on a balance between legal bans, reforming platform design, and investing in digital education for emerging generations to ensure a safe and responsible environment.
