Kathmandu, February 10: Australia has become the first country to impose a ban on social media for children aged 16 and under. Following this trend, Nepal considered a similar ban and introduced a bill. However, the National Assembly has now decided to withdraw this proposed bill.
According to reports from Nepalese media, the National Assembly unanimously passed the decision to retract the bill concerning the use and management of social networks. Chairman Narayan Dahal presented the bill and later announced its unanimous withdrawal.
Earlier, Tulsa Kumari Dahal, chairperson of the Legislative Management Committee, presented the committee’s report during the National Assembly meeting. During the committee meeting, 35 members filed 155 amendment proposals. On February 3, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology decided to withdraw the bill and appealed to Parliament for the same.
In 2025, a significant uproar occurred in Nepal regarding the proposed social media ban, culminating in the Gen-Z movement. Besides Australia, countries like Ireland and Denmark are also contemplating similar bans on social media.
It is noteworthy that Australia implemented a complete ban on social media usage for children under 16 in 2025, which has shown rapid effects. Like Australia, several countries, including Nepal, are planning to impose such restrictions.
Previously, Euro News reported that within a month, social media companies had removed nearly 5 million accounts belonging to minors. Australia’s internet regulator stated that social media companies had complied with the law enacted on December 10, resulting in the removal of approximately 4.7 million accounts belonging to individuals under 16.
The e-Safety Commissioner released data indicating that major platforms are taking necessary steps to prevent individuals under 16 from maintaining accounts. Julie Inman Grant, the e-Safety Commissioner, expressed her satisfaction with these initial results, stating, “It is clear that regulatory guidance on digital safety and engagement with platforms is already yielding positive outcomes.”
These figures represent the first government data on compliance, indicating that tech companies are taking necessary measures to adhere to the regulations. Other countries, like Denmark, are already monitoring similar laws.
Nordic countries announced in November that they had reached an agreement to block social media access for anyone under 15, which could be legislated by mid-2026.