Azerbaijan’s parliament adopted amendments on 30 June that will prohibit anyone under 16 from registering on social media platforms, with the law taking effect 12 months after its official publication. Users aged 16 to 18 will need consent from a legal representative, and age will be verified through bank cards, phone numbers, or email addresses. Providers will bear responsibility for data accuracy and must establish a local presence or face fines of up to 400,000 manat (about $235,000) and eventual traffic restrictions. The move places Baku within a widening international effort to constrain minors’ access to digital platforms.

According to Azerbaijani lawmakers, the legislation is intended to shield children from harmful information. Officials in Moscow have signalled similar intentions: a deputy from the State Duma’s information policy committee proposed banning under-14s from social networks, while the digital minister described age-verification mechanisms as a near-term priority. From the perspective of technology companies, such measures are contested. A Meta spokesperson, quoted in US media, maintained that Instagram’s Teen Accounts already reduce exposure to sensitive content and unwanted contact. Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, argued that bans push minors toward VPNs and unregulated, more dangerous content.

The Azerbaijani law follows Australia’s December 2025 ban, the first of its kind, which obliges ten major platforms—including TikTok, YouTube, and Meta’s services—to block under-16s or incur multimillion-dollar fines. Research from Australian universities, however, indicates that many teenagers continue to circumvent the restrictions. A study by New York University and Northeastern University found that roughly 60 percent of safety features on major platforms failed in tests, raising questions about enforceability. In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a similar ban to take effect by spring 2027, with regulator Ofcom overseeing a mandatory purge of underage accounts using biometric scanning and ID checks. Indonesia and Malaysia have introduced restrictions, while the UAE already prohibits under-15s from accessing social media.

Viewed from London, the UK legislation is expected to clear Parliament by the end of the year, with enforcement in 2027. In Australia, the government has signalled plans to tighten the ban further. According to a tally by the Russian business daily RBK, more than 20 countries have either enacted or are discussing restrictions on minors’ social media use. The Azerbaijani law will enter into force in mid-2027, with a six-month compliance window for platforms after being listed, as the global regulatory landscape for children’s digital access continues to expand amid persistent debate over effectiveness and unintended consequences.