🚫 SOCIAL MEDIA BAN / RESTRICTION WATCHLIST - Oct 2026 🇨🇳 China - Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, Telegram, Reddit and many other major foreign platforms remain blocked by the Great Firewall. 🇷🇺 Russia - Facebook, Instagram and X remain blocked. Telegram was blocked in March 2026; Bluesky was blocked in April. 🇮🇷 Iran - Instagram, WhatsApp, X, Facebook, Telegram and other major services remain blocked/restricted. Blocking can intensify during unrest. 🇲🇲 Myanmar - Facebook, Instagram and X remain blocked, alongside extensive internet censorship. 🇬🇦 Gabon - Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok and YouTube were blocked following the Feb 2026 political unrest; monitoring reports the block as ongoing. 🇺🇬 Uganda - Facebook and WhatsApp were blocked following the January 2026 election period, with social media restrictions continuing to be monitored. 🇮🇳 India - TikTok remains banned nationwide since 2020. Officials confirmed in 2025 that the ban had not been lifted. 🇦🇺 Australia - Under-16 social media ban is LIVE. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, Snapchat, Reddit, Threads, Twitch and others are covered. Platforms face penalties up to A$109.2m. 🇫🇷 France - UPDATE: Parliament passed an under-15 social media ban, but France's Constitutional Council struck the ban down in August 2026. So don't call France's under-15 ban currently active. 🇬🇧 UK - UPDATE: government plans to ban under-16s from certain social media services from Spring 2027. Regulations are expected before the end of 2026. It is NOT yet in force. 🇳🇿 New Zealand - government introduced an Online Safety Bill to ban under-16s from high-risk social media. Includes age checks and potentially digital ID/facial age estimation. 🇪🇺 EU - UPDATE: European Commission proposed the EU KIDS Act on Sept 17, including no social media access for under-13s and an EU-wide minimum age of 15 for autonomous accounts. This is a PROPOSAL, not yet an EU-wide ban. 🇫🇷 France: Parliament passed the under-15 restriction, but the Constitutional Council struck down Article 1 because it considered the blanket restriction disproportionate and also raised the issue of age verification/privacy implications. 🇬🇧 UK: this has moved considerably beyond a proposal. The government says it will ban social media for under-16s, with regulations expected before year-end and implementation in Spring 2027. The government is explicitly considering a model similar to Australia's, with Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and X cited as examples. 🇪🇺 EU: the September 17 KIDS Act proposal is potentially the big one for your European audience. The Commission proposes under-13 prohibition + age 15 for autonomous accounts, with platforms bearing more responsibility for proving that their services are age-appropriate. It is not law yet. 🇦🇺 Australia: unlike the UK/EU proposals, Australia's system is already operational. As of the latest Australian regulator update, the law has been in effect since 10 December 2025, and eSafety says enforcement can seek penalties of up to A$109.2 million against companies that fail to take reasonable steps. Do social media bans make you a good parent?