Austria bans social media for children under 14

ISNTANBUL: Austria has approved a nationwide ban on the use of social media by children under the age of 14, while also announcing the promotion of media literacy and artificial intelligence (AI) education in upper secondary curricula from the 2027/28 academic year.

According to foreign media, the Vice Chancellor said during a press conference that social media platforms are having a negative impact on young people and therefore it is necessary to set an age limit, as is done for some other content and objects.

He said that the ban will be implemented at the national level, while Austria will continue its efforts to promote such measures in the European Union.

He said that under the new education reforms, media literacy will be included as a regular subject at the upper secondary level.

Informatics classes will also be expanded, which will include artificial intelligence to give students the ability to understand the digital system and identify its risks and opportunities.

The Austrian move is part of a growing trend around the world to restrict the social media use of young children.