On Wednesday, 14 October 2026, the government reviewed the results of the consultation on the planned Federal Act on Communication Platforms and Search Engines. Bern instructed the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) to prepare a dispatch for Parliament.
The preliminary draft is to be amended with child-protection measures. Platforms and search engines covered by the law would have to assess whether their services create or worsen risks for minors, and take steps to reduce them.
Large platforms would also be barred from showing minors personalised advertising. The reporting procedure would be extended to all content suspected of being unlawful.
The law would apply only to “very large” platforms and search engines.
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No Minimum Age, For Now
The most contested issue was whether to bar children from social media altogether. The question caused tension inside the government and delayed the file by several weeks.
Meanwhile, the Federal Council has decided against a ban for now, with Communications Minister Albert Rösti favouring a more pragmatic approach. The government could still add a minimum age before it adopts the dispatch.
The draft received broad support in the consultation, which ran from October 2025 to February 2026 and drew 214 responses. A majority supported the proposal.
The Centre Party, the Social Democrats and the Greens support it, along with 22 cantons. The cantons of Schwyz and Thurgau and some parties, including the Swiss People’s Party, oppose it, citing freedom of expression and information.
What Research Shows: JAMES Study By Zurich University of Applied Sciences
The main Swiss data on young people’s media habits comes from the JAMES study by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). It is a representative survey, published every two years, of more than 1,000 adolescents aged 12 to 19 across the three main language regions. The 2024 edition surveyed 1,183 young people. It found that Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and WhatsApp are the most popular apps.
Parliament will decide on the bill after the dispatch arrives. The Federal Council’s English release says the dispatch must be drawn up by the end of 2027.
