Kathmandu, February 10: Nepal has decided to withdraw a proposed bill aimed at banning social media for children aged 16 and under, following Australia’s lead as the first country to implement such a restriction. The National Assembly (NA) reached a unanimous decision to retract the bill concerning the use and management of social networks. NA Chairman Narayan Dahal presented the bill and later confirmed its withdrawal.
Earlier, Tulsa Kumari Dahal, Chairperson of the Legislation Management Committee, had submitted a report on the bill during an NA meeting, where 35 members proposed 155 amendments. The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology had decided to withdraw the bill on February 3 and appealed to Parliament for the same.
In 2025, Nepal faced significant backlash over a proposed Social Media Ban, which culminated in the Gen-Z movement. Other countries, including Ireland and Denmark, are also considering similar restrictions.
Australia implemented a complete ban on social media for minors under 16 in 2025, which has shown rapid effects. Following this, social media companies reportedly removed nearly 5 million accounts belonging to minors within a month. Australia’s Internet regulator indicated that approximately 4.7 million accounts were deleted to comply with the new law that took effect on December 10.
E-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant expressed satisfaction with these initial results, indicating that regulatory guidance and engagement with platforms are yielding positive outcomes. This data marks the first governmental compliance report, suggesting that tech companies are taking necessary steps to adhere to regulations.
Nordic countries announced in November that they had reached an agreement to block social media access for anyone under 15, with plans to legislate this by mid-2026.