Warsaw is preparing legislation to ban children under the age of 15 from using social media, the norm should enter into force in 2027. The draft law provides for financial penalties for websites that would not block access to young users. More than three quarters of Poles support the move, recent poll has shown.
Polish Education Minister Barbara Nowacka announced the move in an interview with Bloomberg News. According to Ms Nowacka, online platforms will be responsible for effectively verifying the age of users and can potentially face severe fines.
If the norm gets through, which is highly probable, Poland will join a growing number of countries that have already introduced or are considering similar bans. Social media ban has entered force in Australia in December 2025. Denmark, France, Greece, Slovenia, Spain and some other countries are currently working on legislations that would enforce social media ban for children.
Not only social media
“We see problems with the mental health of children and young people. We see a decline in their intellectual abilities,” Minister Nowacka said, highlighting growing concerns about the impact of social media on young people. She added that the amount of potential penalties for tech companies is still under discussion.
We see problems with the mental health of children and young people. We see a decline in their intellectual abilities. – Barbara Nowacka, Poland’s Education Minister
Minister Nowacka also wants to ban children from using mobile phones in primary schools. The only exception would be if a teacher decided that pupils needed phones for educational purposes. This new regulation could come into effect as early as September, Ms Nowacks said earlier this week.
Overwhelming majority in favour
A recent poll conducted for private broadcaster Radio ZET found that 77 per cent of respondents support introducing a ban in Poland on using social media for children under 15. The norm is opposed by 11.4 per cent of respondents, with 11.6 per cent undecided. The results were published on Thursday, 26 February.
Seventy seven per cent of respondents support introducing a ban in Poland on using social media for children under 15. – Opinion poll for Radio Zet
Support was higher among women than men, the poll showed, with 83 per cent of women and 70 per cent of men backing the idea. No significant differences were found among voters of different political parties. The least supportive group were those who voted for the conservative Law and Justice party in the last parliamentary election (currently in opposition), with 67 per cent in favor and 15 per cent against.
’Manipulative strategies’ vs. acces to learning
In November 2025, European Parliament called for an ambitious EU action to protect minors online, including an EU-wide minimum age of 16 and bans on the most harmful platforms. MEPs adopted a non-legislative report by 483 votes in favour, 92 against and with 86 abstentions, expressing deep concern over the physical and mental health risks minors face online. The move called for stronger protection against the ’manipulative strategies’ that can increase addiction. The report also mentions that social media are detrimental to children’s ability to concentrate and engage healthily with online content.
United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), however, voiced a different view on the matter. “While UNICEF welcomes the growing commitment to children’s online safety, social media bans come with their own risks, and they may even backfire (…) Social media is not a luxury. For many children, especially those who are isolated or marginalised, it is a lifeline providing access to learning, connection, play, and self-expression,” the UN Agency wrote.
