Nearly two-thirds of Dutch support social media ban for children and teenagers

The call for regulations for social media is growing, research agency Newcom concluded in its annual social media survey. In the Netherlands, 63 percent of people now support a ban on social media for children under the age of 16, up from 57 percent last year, NOS reports.

Support for a ban is increasing across every age group, but especially in Gen Z, who are currently between the ages of 16 and 28. In this group, 60 percent believe children and teenagers under 16 should not be allowed to use social media. Last year, that figure was 44 percent.

“A huge shift in one year; it shatters the cliché that young people don’t want rules,” Newcom director Neil van der Veer said. “This is the generation that has experience with it; they may see the dangers more clearly.”

Concerns about social media in general also continue to grow, according to the representative survey of 6,685 people. According to Van der Veer, we are experiencing more side effects from scrolling and posting than ever before. “The impact it has on our mental well-being and loneliness has become enormous.”

Of the 14.6 million Dutch people active on social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and TikTok, 2.6 million say they feel less happy. Last year, that figure was 2.4 million. 7.2 million Dutch people believe that social media poses a risk to their mental health, up from 6.9 million last year.

That is also reflected in the increasing number of people trying to reduce their time on social media, around 5.5 million this year, up from 5.2 million in 2025. This year, 4.9 million Dutch said they’ve considered quitting social media entirely, compared to 4.6 million the year before.

Australia banned social media for children under 16 at the end of last year. Kids and teens are no longer allowed ot have accounts on social media platforms, and companies that don’t take steps to remove these accounts risk fines of up to approximately €28 million. Several European countries say they are considering a similar policy.

In the Newcom survey, Netherlands residents cited various reasons for supporting such a ban. The most common reason is that children are not yet equipped to handle the harmful effects of social media. A ban would also reduce the pressure on them to be online and protect them from inappropriate content. The main argument against a ban is that social media can also teach children positive skills.