Australia
Australia's under-16 social media ban took effect on 10 December 2025, requiring covered platforms to prevent under-16s from holding accounts. In June 2026 the government moved to double fines amid evidence children were bypassing the ban.
Where is YouTube blocked?
YouTube is blocked, restricted or age-gated in 12 countries and territories — 7 complete bans and 6 age-verification requirements in total.
Brazil
Brazil's Digital Statute of Children and Adolescents (ECA Digital, Law 15,211/2025) took effect on 17 March 2026. Social media accounts for users under 16 must be linked to a legal guardian, and platforms must use reliable age verification — self-declaration alone is not allowed.
Eritrea
Gabon
Gabon's media regulator, the High Authority for Communication, ordered social media suspended indefinitely in February 2026 amid labour unrest, citing fake news, cyberbullying and data violations. OONI measurements show YouTube blocked by DNS tampering since 18 February 2026, corroborated by a drop in YouTube traffic from Gabon in Google's Transparency Report.
Gabon
Gabon's Ordinance No. 0011/PR/2026 (signed 26 February 2026; published 8 April 2026) sets a digital age of majority of 16 and requires parental consent for under-16 social media access. Platforms must verify users with more than an age or ID check alone — name, address and Personal Identification Number (NIP) — ending online anonymity. Operators have a 12-month transition period, with full compliance expected by February 2027.
Indonesia
Indonesia began deactivating under-16 accounts on designated high-risk platforms from 28 March 2026. The communications ministry named YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox among platforms subject to the under-16 restriction.
Islamic Republic of Iran
Malaysia
Malaysia's under-16 social media ban took effect on 1 June 2026. Platforms must verify users' ages and remove under-16 accounts or face fines of up to RM1 million.
North Korea
People's Republic of China
Russia
After throttling YouTube to near-unusable speeds since July 2024, Russia fully blocked it on 12 February 2026, removing it from the national DNS alongside WhatsApp as users are pushed to state-approved alternatives.
Turkmenistan
Türkiye
Türkiye's parliament passed a law in April 2026 banning social media services for children under 15 and requiring platforms to implement age-verification systems and parental control tools for older minors. The law takes effect six months after publication in the Official Gazette, with full compliance expected in late 2026. A separate e-government (e-Devlet) real-ID login scheme for all users was still a draft as of April 2026.
Data updated:
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