EU moves towards social media ban for children under 13
Brussels will propose gradual access for different ages in response to concerns over child safety online
Brussels is set to propose a “social media start date for minors”, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday, as it comes under pressure from member states to restrict children’s access over safety concerns.
Von der Leyen said she would make a proposal after the summer for “phased and gradual access for different age ranges”.
“What we already have is a consensus that there needs to be a start date for the age children can join social media,” she said after presenting the results from an expert panel on child safety online.
Several European countries have been pushing the Commission to restrict children’s use of social networks, arguing that tech companies are not doing enough to protect them from the negative effects of being online. Some countries, including France, have grown impatient and have imposed their own restrictions.
Von der Leyen said she was considering a “harmonised EU-wide delay to social media” for under-13s, unless under parental or caregiver supervision. There would then be gradual access as of 13 years old, “depending on the proof given by the platforms that they are age-appropriate and safe for teenagers”.
Most major social media platforms officially require users to be at least 13 — the age at which children can consent to their data being processed under EU privacy regulation. However, those restrictions are easily and often circumvented.
The Commission is currently working on an age verification app that allows users to verify their age without disclosing personal information to platforms.
“This is not about whether children can access social media”, von der Leyen said. “It is about whether and when social media can access our children.”
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen calls for an age limit on children using social media © EBS
Social media companies argue that they already have a number of protections in place for children, such as Instagram’s Teen Accounts, which have screen time limits and extra privacy settings to avoid contacts by strangers. Meta and TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the bloc’s announcement.
Separately, the EU is also increasing pressure on social media platforms via other means. The bloc has several ongoing investigations into social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook and Instagram under its landmark Digital Services Act, which polices content online.
Last year, Australia enacted the world’s first social media ban for under-16s after growing calls from parents who are concerned that bullying is frequent and hard to monitor on such apps.
“Social media is not a toy,” von der Leyen said, adding that it was “very clear that we need age-appropriate restrictions to platforms”, including a start date to access social media, “because childhood won’t wait and once it’s gone, we can never give it back”.
The German politician said that “just as we don’t give our children keys to the car before they have their licence, or we do not let them buy alcohol until they are legally allowed, we need to set the age at which the children can legally access social media”.
The Commission warned Meta last week that Instagram and Facebook’s endlessly scrolling feeds may breach the EU’s new content rules, as regulators intensify scrutiny of social media’s impact on children. Those investigations can lead to fines of up to 6 per cent of its global turnover.
The Commission is already preparing a separate proposal to protect consumers online, for instance against spending traps, which will also target children.