Vietnam is advancing a significant tightening of rules for young internet users. Under a new draft decree, children under the age of 16 would be prohibited from posting content, commenting, reacting to posts, or otherwise interacting on social media platforms. The proposal, currently under consultation, aims to create a more controlled and protective digital environment for minors while still allowing supervised access.
The draft amends and supplements Decree No. 147/2024/ND-CP, which already governs the management, provision, and use of internet services and online information in Vietnam. A consultation workshop organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on July 23-24, 2026, brought together officials, platform representatives, and stakeholders to discuss the changes. If finalized and adopted, the rules would mark one of the more assertive approaches in Southeast Asia to limiting how children engage online.
Key Provisions of the Draft
According to the draft, social media accounts for anyone under 16 could no longer be registered using the child’s own personal information. Instead, parents or legal guardians would have to register the accounts in their own names and assume responsibility for supervising the content their children view and the amount of time spent on the platforms.
Once registered, these child accounts would face strict functional limits. Users under 16 would be barred from posting original content, leaving comments, interacting with other users, or reacting to posts (such as liking or sharing). Platforms would be required to implement technical measures capable of identifying underage users and delivering only age-appropriate content. They must also apply the highest available privacy protections to these accounts and proactively detect, warn about, and block material involving violence, pornography, gambling, drugs, suicide, or other harmful themes.
In addition, the draft includes a provision that could require platforms to suspend or close existing under-16 accounts within a relatively short window—reportedly around 120 days in some versions of the text—unless they are properly re-registered under parental control.
Deputy Culture Minister Phan Tam emphasized that the goal is not an outright ban on access. “The primary objective is not to ban or excessively restrict children’s access to social media, but rather to ensure that when children use social media services, they are placed in an age-appropriate environment and protected from inappropriate risks,” he said during discussions on the draft.
Le Quang Tu Do, Director General of the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information, linked the interaction restrictions to evidence of online harms. He noted that the proposal draws on studies highlighting risks of cyberbullying, psychological harm, and online fraud targeting children. At the same time, he indicated that the drafting committee intends to refine the text to balance child protection with the responsibilities of families and businesses, while preserving children’s rights to access information, learn, and participate in the digital world.
Building on Existing Rules
The new restrictions would strengthen measures already introduced under Decree 147, which took effect in late 2024. That decree required social media platforms to authenticate users via Vietnamese mobile phone numbers or personal identification numbers. For children under 16, it mandated that parents or supervisors register accounts using their own details and oversee the content children post or share. Only verified accounts are allowed to post, comment, livestream, or share information.
The 2025 Law on Cybersecurity, which took effect on July 1, 2026, further reinforced child protection in cyberspace. It affirms children’s rights online, requires parental registration of accounts, obliges platforms to monitor and remove harmful content, and frames child safety as a shared societal responsibility.
The latest draft goes further by removing the ability of under-16 users to generate or engage with content actively. In effect, young users would be shifted into a more passive, supervised consumption role.
Parallel Restrictions on Online Gaming
The same draft decree also addresses online gaming. Game operators would need to verify users’ ages, register under-16 accounts through a parent or guardian, and limit playtime for children under 16 to no more than 60 minutes per day for games offered by the same company. These measures align with broader efforts to curb excessive screen time and potential addiction among minors.
Industry Concerns Raised at Consultation
Representatives from major platforms voiced practical and technical reservations during the consultation process. Meta argued that a complete ban on interactions could remove behavioral signals that help systems detect underage users and apply safeguards. The company warned that such a rule might encourage false age declarations, undermining protections. Meta suggested alternatives including stronger default privacy settings, better harmful-content filtering, screen-time tools, restrictions on messages from strangers, and enhanced parental supervision features. It also described the proposed 120-day implementation window as too short, pointing to Australia’s longer preparation period as a more realistic model.
TikTok similarly urged careful consideration of a full prohibition on posting and interacting. The company highlighted its existing Family Pairing tools that link parent and child accounts and recommended at least six months for any major technical changes.
The US-ASEAN Business Council stressed the positive roles social media can play in learning, knowledge expansion, and social connection. It recommended focusing on account management, privacy, content moderation, stranger-contact restrictions, and parental tools rather than mandatory account suspensions.
Global Context and Domestic Momentum
Vietnam’s move fits into a wider international trend. Australia became the first country to enforce a comprehensive social media ban for under-16s in December 2025. Indonesia followed with its own ban in March 2026. Malaysia implemented age restrictions and verification requirements from the start of 2026. France recently approved limits for under-15s, and debates continue in the United Kingdom, parts of Europe, and some US states.
Within Vietnam, public and expert support for stronger controls has been growing. Local authorities have already begun experimenting with rules. In July 2026, Hòa Vang district in Đà Nẵng became the first locality to issue specific guidelines managing phone and social media use by students under 16, emphasizing parental responsibility and age-appropriate limits rather than a total ban.
Parents and child-protection advocates often cite rising concerns about mental health, cyberbullying, exposure to inappropriate material, and the addictive design of many platforms. Supporters of the draft argue that clear functional restrictions give parents and regulators stronger tools than voluntary guidelines alone.
Critics and some education experts counter that overly rigid bans can be difficult to enforce effectively. They note that determined young users may migrate to less regulated apps or use workarounds, and that social media can also support learning, creativity, and social development when properly guided. Implementation challenges—accurate age verification at scale, the risk of false positives affecting adult accounts, and the technical burden on platforms—remain significant.
What Happens Next
The draft has not been finalized. Officials have indicated that feedback from the July consultation will be used to revise the text. The drafting committee is expected to adjust provisions to better balance protection with children’s developmental needs and the practical realities faced by platforms. Further reviews and possible additional consultations are likely before any decree is submitted for approval.
If adopted in something close to its current form, the rules would place Vietnam among the more restrictive jurisdictions regarding active social media participation by younger teens. Platforms operating in the country—both domestic and foreign—would need to overhaul registration systems, detection tools, content feeds, and parental controls. Parents would face clearer legal expectations around supervision. Children under 16 would retain the ability to view curated, age-appropriate content under adult oversight, but the interactive features that define modern social media would be largely closed to them.
The proposal reflects a deliberate policy choice: prioritizing protection from online risks over unrestricted digital participation for younger users. As Vietnam continues refining its internet governance framework, the final shape of these rules will influence how a generation of young people experiences the online world and how global technology companies adapt their services in one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic digital markets.
About The Author
