File photo for reference only.

Thailand is debating a potential social media ban for those under 16, inspired by Australia's recent implementation. The Online Safety Amendment Bill in Australia restricts access to platforms like TikTok and Instagram to tackle digital addiction and harmful content. This initiative prompts Thailand to explore similar measures to protect its youth.

The move aligns with an Ipsos survey, showing 87% of Thais favour a ban on under-14s, the highest globally. However, issues like enforcement and data protection pose challenges. Critics urge that bans should cover not only social media but also dating and gaming platforms to fully shield children.

Thai educators and parents express mixed feelings. Some argue that a ban could improve students' focus and well-being, while others call for balanced solutions. Parents propose involving them in monitoring children's online activity to ensure both safety and education.

Looking ahead, Thailand weighs its options amid increasing calls for digital safety. As discussions continue, policymakers will need to consider enforcing effective regulations that involve parents and protect young Thais. This ongoing debate reflects the global challenge of ensuring safe online environments for children. , reported the Bangkok Post

Key Takeaways

• Thailand considers a social media ban inspired by Australia.

• 87% of Thais support banning under-14s from platforms.

• Parents suggest involving them in monitoring online activity for safety.

  

Adapted by ASEAN Now from Bangkok Post 2026-01-12

 

 

How about a ban on smartphones when you're walking..

Or women should be banned from using smartphones as a distraction for guys showing interest in them...

I must admit I'm shocked at some of the students I teach who have friended me on Facebook. I teach 6, 7 & 8 year olds, but their profiles claim they are all over the age of 16, some into their late 20's. Minimum age for a Facebook account is 13 and that applies here in Thailand.

Thankfully my current school bans students having cell phones on campus. I taught at another school that collected all cell phones in the morning, returning them in the afternoon. THAT was a ridiculous kerfuffle.

I don't think an all out ban is the answer. There is a real benefit for sharing pictures/videos of school presentations. The obvious answer is for parents to quit abdicating their responsibilities!

1 minute ago, HappyExpat57 said:

The obvious answer is for parents to quit abdicating their responsibilities!

This!

They rail against the nanny state but desperately want the state to nanny their children.

They can't even keep underage kids from riding scooters with no helmets in the bright light of day.

How are they going to keep them off clandestine social media?

I totally agree with a ban on smartphones etc for kids under 16.. but for everything. The mix feelings are not real.. Everybody born in before the 1995 let's say, grew up without a smartphone and we all survived.. Emergencies are always being solved but also problems between friends, and we played and learned to find solutions, we were social and could talk with eachother, instead of sending a like...Although most people don't agree with me I always say that the mobile phone has been the worst invention ever. Look how many people are addicted, you can't go anywhere everybody is looking on their screen, on the streets, in shopping malls even at lunch and dinner, on motorcycles and cars, just as they are afraid to miss a second of some else their life....In my youth we did not even a house line and life was much less complicated, and we had much more fun. Now financial sector and shopping, information service, we are forced to get a smartphone, and if you ask somebody an easy question, they don't know. Yesterday at HomePro we asked for the width and height of a fridge and they had to look on their smartphone.( the booklet was in the fridge however), just to say... they have no clue where to find information anymore...

The problem here in Thailand is that it will never can happen, maybe in the schools but the teachers are self very addicted to their phones. But in Thailand there is no enforcement of any law, and parents or educators will never stop their kids on their phones, they even can't keep them from motorcycles, or make them wear helmets... No enforcement so impossible to implant in Thailand

Can I get my wife on that list???

23 minutes ago, ezflip said:

Can I get my wife on that list???

Is she under 16?

Wait... Don't answer that.

3 hours ago, redwood1 said:

How about a ban on smartphones when you're walking..

I especially like the nitwits that are crossing the street while looking at their smartphones, all they need is a Thai driver doing the same thing, then Darwin will work his magic.

On 1/12/2026 at 7:51 AM, impulse said:

They can't even keep underage kids from riding scooters with no helmets in the bright light of day.

How are they going to keep them off clandestine social media?

Very simple and inexpensive KYC (know your customer) apps that integrate into any app, social media or otherwise. Uses technology to confirm the live person matches their verified government ID.

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Thailand is debating a potential social media ban for those under 16, inspired by Australia's recent implementation. The Online Safety Amendment Bill in Australia restricts access to platforms like TikTok and Instagram to tackle digital addiction and harmful content. This initiative prompts Thailand to explore similar measures to protect its youth.

Any minister who pushes for this will be out of work within a week...

if run as a part of the election campaign they can get their CV ready now

23 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

I especially like the nitwits that are crossing the street while looking at their smartphones, all they need is a Thai driver doing the same thing, then Darwin will work his magic.

Became very common in Hong Kong. So common that the government introduced new pedestrian crossing warnings!! Driving is a bit better here than in Thailand (please excuse the generalism), but so many adults and children were walking out against a red light (green for traffic).

https://www.td.gov.hk/en/transport_in_hong_kong/pedestrians/pedestrian_crossing_facilities/tadep/index.html

1 hour ago, kuzmabruk said:

Very simple and inexpensive KYC (know your customer) apps that integrate into any app, social media or otherwise. Uses technology to confirm the live person matches their verified government ID.

Then there's this, posted earlier.

On 1/12/2026 at 6:59 AM, HappyExpat57 said:

I must admit I'm shocked at some of the students I teach who have friended me on Facebook. I teach 6, 7 & 8 year olds, but their profiles claim they are all over the age of 16, some into their late 20's. Minimum age for a Facebook account is 13 and that applies here in Thailand.

If the social media company's own 'protections' are so easily circumvented, how easy will it be for these 'simple and inexpensive KYC' apps to be duped? Why don't the social media owners do what they've been promising to do in front of countless government committees, clean up their act and be socially responsible? Lip service, pay a fine, and carry in raking in the advertising revenues.

I'm watching Australia's experiment in control first.

What they really mean is:
KYC, ID and/or face rec verification will be imposed for all social media for ALL users.

14 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

I'm watching Australia's experiment in control first.

I'm watching America's experiment with zero controls. It's not going so well ☹️

I really don't think successful, upwardly mobile nations like Thailand should be following failing third world communist police states like Australia and the UK down the rabbit hole of social media bans, censorship, online safety acts etc.

On 1/12/2026 at 7:02 AM, NanLaew said:

This!

They rail against the nanny state but desperately want the state to nanny their children.

You certainly don't understand psychology, especially peer pressure, and the stress it can cause...

1 minute ago, Aussie999 said:

On 1/12/2026 at 7:02 AM, NanLaew said:

This!

They rail against the nanny state but desperately want the state to nanny their children.

You certainly don't understand psychology, especially peer pressure, and the stress it can cause...

Peer pressure on whom? The parents?

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

I really don't think successful, upwardly mobile nations like Thailand should be following failing third world communist police states like Australia and the UK down the rabbit hole of social media bans, censorship, online safety acts etc.

I love the fact that Western nations who leaders love saying that they are "Liberal Democracies" are now implementing the types of bans on speech and actions that you would have seen in the Soviet Union during Stalin.

My favorite instance of this is a speech in Finland where EU "leader" Ursula von der Leyen is saying that people who protest in Moscow are immediately arrested - at the exact same time as a cop arrests a protestor in the audience in front of her. It's comedy gold.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DNF7JALIBpk/

FYI - bans based on age will be unenforceable.

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

Peer pressure on whom? The parents?

OMG, you simply do not think...

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Thailand is debating a potential social media ban for those under 16, inspired by Australia's recent implementation. The Online Safety Amendment Bill in Australia restricts access to platforms like TikTok and Instagram to tackle digital addiction and harmful content. This initiative prompts Thailand to explore similar measures to protect its youth.

Any minister who pushes for this will be out of work within a week...

if run as a part of the election campaign they can get their CV ready now

In all so called "democracies" on this planet unpopular decisions will be brought on the table only AFTER the elections are won, while all promises made before are to be broken.

Like every other law in Thailand, it will be ignored by the masses. Do they just like writing laws for the fun of it? I mean, if they aren't going to enforce laws, why write any?

On 1/12/2026 at 8:11 AM, ikke1959 said:

there is no enforcement of any law,

112 violations??

I don't think people realize how damage social media has done to student attention spans. That constant interruption to check for updates really takes a toll on focus and concentration.

It would be nice if the ban included the nitwits on scooters weaving thru traffic to not be texting or reading msssages while 3 small kids hang on any opening on the scooter as as well.

During my school years in the 1940s/50s we pupils managed to get hold of and circulate all manner of 'inappropriate' material, mainly postcard sized images. Kids have, and always will, find a way to source stuff adults don't want them to see. Banning is a waste of time much as it appeals to some in to today's snowflake culture.

Astonishingly, even YouTube’s included in the Australian government’s ban. I’ve recently discovered a vast amount of genuinely educational documentary channels on YouTube, fantastic resource. Can’t believe the Australian government’s trying to deny that to children. Maybe it wants the next generation to be less educated so they’re more likely to vote Labor. So, please, Thai Govt, at least let the kids have YouTube.

15 minutes ago, CygnusX1 said:

Astonishingly, even YouTube’s included in the Australian government’s ban. I’ve recently discovered a vast amount of genuinely educational documentary channels on YouTube, fantastic resource. Can’t believe the Australian government’s trying to deny that to children. Maybe it wants the next generation to be less educated so they’re more likely to vote Labor. So, please, Thai Govt, at least let the kids have YouTube.

The YouTube Kids app is not included in the ban.

3 hours ago, emptypockets said:

The YouTube Kids app is not included in the ban.

So does that allow kids access to all of YouTube, or just a subset of videos marked suitable for children? Or maybe all of YouTube except content specifically marked as not suitable for children?