Notes by the Editor
March 10th, 2026
This map was created to provide a comprehensive overview of global social media ban initiatives. On the one hand, I am very much interested in the subject itself, and on the other, I’m a bit of a data nerd at heart—so I really wanted to create a visual representation that shows the current state of social media bans around the world. Since I also have a bit of a fun history with maps, I thought bringing these interests together would be a great idea.
For this first edition, the research primarily relies on English-language sources, which are documented in the respective detail views. To improve global coverage, you are invited to submit sources in your native language; these will be reviewed and integrated accordingly.
Navigating the Complexity
The regulatory landscape is complex, with significant gray areas regarding what constitutes a "ban" and the actual status of legislative discussions in various countries. I have attempted to distinguish between general discourse and concrete initiatives. To maintain a clear and functional map, I have currently omitted granular distinctions; such as specific age limits (e.g., under 13 vs. under 16) or school-specific smartphone bans.
My research indicates that while EU member states often align with broader Union strategies, there are very few initiatives focused primarily on media literacy and education. Reflecting these nuances on the map remains a challenge; future updates will depend on the continued relevance of the topic.
The Role of Generative AI
One objective is to document the historical development of these regulations by continuously adding relevant articles. While such a task would typically require a full editorial team, I have leveraged Generative AI to make this project manageable as a solo effort.
The technical foundation was established in a single day on March 10th, 2026. Using Antigravity and Gemini, I "vibecoded" this application in PHP and MySQL, a stack that fits my background as a long-time WordPress user.
Furthermore, GenAI assists in extracting metadata from linked articles. My database does not store full article content, but rather the essential metadata at a specific point in time. I have implemented an automation process designed to summarize this metadata for each country's detail view to illustrate future developments. As the project is in its early stages, the historical data is still growing.
Future Development and Collaboration
To maintain and scale this map, I intend to utilize automated search processes to track updates across more than 200 countries currently in the system (over 50 are already listed). Without AI-driven summarization, managing this volume of information would be impossible.
How you can contribute:
Thomas Riedel
March 10th, 2026