Proposals to be finalized by September: EU to introduce age restrictions for children on social media
13 July 20:14
The European Union will introduce age restrictions for minors using social media. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced this on Monday, July 13. "Komersant Ukrainian" reports this, citing DW.
In Brussels, she presented a report by an EU expert group that had been working for a year on a package of measures to combat the negative impact of social media on children and adolescents.
In the report, the experts advocated for a ban on children under the age of 13 using social media without parental supervision. They also supported restrictions for older adolescents if online services cannot protect them from developing addictions or shield them from scenes of violence and hate speech.
“It is quite clear that we need age-appropriate restrictions for social media. The question is not whether children can use social media. The question is when and under what conditions social media platforms can have access to our children,” von der Leyen stated.
According to her, the European Commission will announce by September how the expert group’s recommendations can be incorporated into EU legislation.
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Regulation of social media falls under the European Commission’s jurisdiction
Ursula von der Leyen’s statement marks another step in the European Commission’s long-standing efforts to reduce the risks to mental and physical health associated with minors’ use of social media. The EC President has made this issue one of her priorities as head of the EU’s executive branch.
Denmark, Spain, Greece, and France also support the introduction of EU-wide age restrictions. Some European countries have already implemented such restrictions at the national level.
In Germany, Federal Minister for Family Affairs Karin Prin has promised to submit a draft bill by the end of 2027. Previously, a German government expert group advocated for a complete ban on social media access for children under 13 and restrictions on certain services based on their potential risk levels.
Each EU member state may establish its own bans and restrictions, but oversight of compliance with these requirements falls under the jurisdiction of the European Commission. It is the Commission that oversees the largest social media platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, and can require them to make changes to their services and impose fines for violations.
Social media platforms already restrict access for European users under the age of 13, as, under EU data protection rules, they cannot independently consent to the processing of their personal data.
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