Our latest Global Trends benchmark analyses different aspects of social media regulation across 13 jurisdictions around the world. The benchmark covers both regulatory aspects (e.g. licensing and ownership restrictions) and the obligations of social media towards their end users. It outlines the liabilities of social media for different types of illegal or harmful content shared on their platforms. The benchmark also includes updates on outright social media bans imposed on minors, and age verification methods in use or proposed in several jurisdictions. 

Some key takeaways
 

• Six of the surveyed jurisdictions impose licensing or registration requirements on social media platforms. However, only two of them also mandate the establishment of a local subsidiary by a foreign platform offering social media services at national level.
• Only China mandates social media platforms to check the real identity of their users.
• Several jurisdictions mandate the use of age verification systems to enable access to content restricted to minors. Australia, the EU, Korea, Malaysia and the UK issued (or proposed) guidance on appropriate age verification methods.
• Platforms’ liabilities on content shared by their end users vary considerably across jurisdictions depending on existing safe harbour regimes, as well as the type of content shared on social media by end users.
• In recent years, safe harbour regimes were revised in some jurisdictions, while new legislation was adopted to better protect users from the spreading of illegal and harmful content on social platforms (e.g. the EU and the UK).
• From January 2026, several jurisdictions covered in this benchmark have been considering measures aimed at countering the sharing of AI-generated sexualised content, including of minors, on social media.

Scope
Region: Global
Jurisdictions covered: 13 (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the EU, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, the UK, and the US)
Policy area: Digital, Media and Communications
Last updated: February 2026

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