Austria’s conservative-led, three-party government plans to ban social media use for children under 14, officials announced on Friday. Members of the cabinet from the ruling parties agreed on the principle of the ban, which aims to protect children from addictive algorithms and harmful content, including sexual abuse. However, the government has not specified when the ban will take effect or finalized how it will be implemented.

Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler of the Social Democrats emphasized the urgency of the measure, saying the government will “decisively protect children and young people from the negative effects of social media.” He added, “We can no longer stand by while these platforms make our children addicted and often unwell. The risks linked to this usage were ignored for too long, and now it is time to act.”

Austria would join a growing number of countries considering restrictions on underage social media use. Australia became the first nation to enforce a ban for under-16s in December. France’s lower house of parliament approved a similar measure for under-15s in January, and other countries are exploring comparable rules.

Babler and Alexander Proell, the conservative junior minister for digitization, said draft legislation for Austria’s ban is expected by the end of June. Instead of naming individual platforms, the government plans to apply the ban based on how addictive a platform’s algorithms are and whether it contains content such as sexualized violence.

The initiative reflects concerns about children’s mental health and exposure to harmful content online. By focusing on the design of platforms and the nature of content rather than specific apps, Austrian authorities aim to create a flexible framework that addresses the evolving digital landscape and protects minors from potential risks.