According to the results of a recent survey conducted at the national level, up to 76 percent of citizens support banning access to social media for children under 12 and regulating their use by minors.. Of these, 58 percent fully support this measure, while the average support score is 4,3 out of 5, indicating a strong social consensus that urgent institutional measures are needed to protect children, Portalb.mk reports.
The results directly support the demands of the citizens' initiative "For a safe childhood", whose petition to ban and regulate social networks for children under 16 has so far been supported by almost 3.000 citizens. The initiative calls for the application of clear legal solutions, including mandatory age verification, reinforced parental control, limitations on algorithmic targeting of children, better protection of personal data and sanctions for platforms that fail to comply with the rules.
The survey shows that support is high across all age groups – around 80 percent among people over 40, but also a significant number of people under 40.j 69 percent among young people aged 18 to 29 years. Support is equally strong in urban and rural areas.
Meanwhile, such measures already are being implemented or being considered in several countriesIn December 2025, Australia became the first country to introduce a ban on social media use for children under 16, while several European countries are preparing similar legal solutions.
At the European Union level, the Digital Services Act already imposes obligations to protect minors, including a ban on advertising targeting children. In 2025, the European Commission published additional guidelines. to manage risks such as harmful content, addictive use and cyberbullying, as well as a model for secure age verification with privacy protection.
Moreover, in 2026 The Commission opened procedures related to child safety on certain digital platforms due to suspicions of insufficient protection of minor users.
The "For a Safe Childhood" initiative says that Macedonia should not remain a passive observer and calls for a coordinated approach between institutions - the Parliament, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and regulatory bodies.
They demand urgent approval of legal changes, implementation of secure and privacy-protected age verification, mandatory safety standards for underage users, efficient mechanisms for removing harmful content, as well as a national program for digital education and mental health.
"This is not a battle against technology, but a call for responsibility. Childhood should not be left to algorithms designed to attract attention at all costs", the initiative's message states.
We remember that one survey carried out in March and April 2025 in ten schools in Skopje, with over 1.288 students in grades four through eight, shows that an increasing number of primary school students in Macedonia read but do not understand what they have read. Children who spend more time on their phones, do not read books and do not play sports achieve significantly worse results, the study said.
Social networks have turned into marketplaces where children's personal data is used for profiling and where sexual predators find easier ways to reach minors. Governments, such as those in Australia and Spain, argue that platforms have failed to regulate themselves, allowing the spread of hate speech, violent content and dangerous misinformation that can radicalize young minds. In this context, the ban is seen as a means of forcing tech giants to take legal and financial responsibility, shifting the burden of protection from helpless parents directly to the tech companies themselves.
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