From Germany to Brazil – The “social media ban” craze continues.
Kit Knightly
The list of countries that want to “ban social media for children” (read: identity-gate internet access) just continues to grow and grow.
There’s Germany…
NEW – Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), a former BlackRock chairman, wants to end the anonymity on the Internet: "I want to see real names." pic.twitter.com/sUjG7XIdrd
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) February 18, 2026
At least Merz is being somewhat honest about the intention – ending anonymity.
Meanwhile, Greece is doing it to “protect democracy”…
NOW – Greece's PM says banning social media for minors and adolescents "goes hand in hand with a democratic responsibility" to ensure "that technology strengthens the public square rather than overwhelms us with disinformation and hate," and that if dialogue with big tech fails,… pic.twitter.com/qJ9shDiUYr
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) February 19, 2026
And Canada is still clinging to the “protect kids” line:
So is Brazil:
Not to mention France, Spain, Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Italy, and Slovenia [link].
Social media bans are newest trend. Heads of state, like Mad Men-style 60s housewives, are seeing what their neighbor’s have and jealously demanding their own.
Not since the early days of Covid have our world leaders demonstrated such school-of-fish-like hivemind synchronization.
It’s all just a coincidence, I’m sure.
Even the US, a supposed bastion of freedom under The Don, is inevitably heading in the same direction.
That’s the reason for the big “social media trial”, contrived performance theatre to air the anti-algorithm grievances of bereaved parents who or may not be real, and engage the increasingly hysterical sentiments of the digital mob.
America may be the last domino to fall, it may even be relegated to a state-level matter, but fall it will.
And that will be that.
It’s another reason why the proposed VPN ban may come to nothing, because there’s no point in spoofing your IP to another country if every country on earth requires digital ID anyway.
This is the wall of a digital prison closing in, and it’s far more important than the alleged arrest of Prince Andrew.
Which is why THAT is on every front page in the country, and THIS is not.
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Yes, that is the bigger issue. There may come a point where VPNs (at least for anonymity’s sake) become useless. If every country and major social platform adopts the same measures in the same style as Covid conformity.
And yet there are powers for whom anonymity would still seem to be a good thing and would still wish it widely distributed Internet-wide. Journalists in hostile lands, investigative reporters, undercover workers etc.
If only spies or Police use a particular method of communication then it makes it easy to identify them. Which was the reason why Tor was dished out to the general population in the first place after being a spies-only tool.
The principle of ‘hiding in plain sight’ (from the point of view of those in power) may still save anonymity for the general populace
Isn’t it wonderful to see these so-called sovereign, independent nations all walking in lockstep on this issue? …Covid-1984 vibes, anyone?
Even Brazil from BRICS has got in on the act. Won’t be long before the R, I and S join the party. The C may not bother since it probably knows who everyone online within its borders is already.
Oh well, there is always some geopolitical dispute to keep the ‘Whites hats are coming’ faithful living in hope of a saviour figure or their preferred regime riding to the rescue.