Kazakhstan weighs social media ban for children under 16

According to Balayeva, the Ministry of Culture and Information has drafted legislative amendments regulating the activities of online platforms and mass media. The proposed laws would prohibit individuals under 16 from creating accounts on social networking platforms.

“The draft laws have undergone expert review and have been submitted for public discussion,” Balayeva said. “To ensure effective implementation, we plan to work jointly with the Ministry of Public Education and the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development to develop age-verification mechanisms for users, as well as to define liability measures where necessary.”

The minister added that the reforms would also place special emphasis on improving media literacy among the population and supporting independent media outlets.

Speaking at the same meeting, a deputy prime minister noted that the government is also considering regulating the distribution of advertising revenues between online platforms and traditional media at the legislative level. In addition, the partial lifting of bans on advertising certain goods is under review.

The proposal to introduce age limits for social media use reflects a broader global trend. Several countries have already implemented or announced similar measures. In Australia, access to platforms such as TikTok and Instagram has been banned for children under 16 since 2024, with fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars for violations.

In November 2025, Denmark announced draft legislation to prohibit social media use for children under 15. Malaysia plans to introduce a ban for users under 16 starting in 2026, while France intends to impose similar restrictions on children under 15 from the next academic year.

More broadly, governments worldwide are seeking ways to protect children from harmful online content. China has imposed limits on children’s screen time and video game usage, while in France authorities have launched an investigation into TikTok over concerns that the platform may encourage self-harm among young users.