EU Moves Closer To Restricting Social Media For Children

The European Union is moving closer to introducing age restrictions for children’s access to social media after months of debate, with member states such as Greece and France pushing for tighter controls similar to Australia’s nationwide restrictions.

According to a report by AFP, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen commissioned a panel of doctors, academics, youth representatives and parents to provide evidence-based recommendations to guide the bloc’s decision-making. The expert group presented its findings on Monday.

“What we already have is a consensus that there needs to be a start date for the age children can join social media,” von der Leyen said, calling for “age-appropriate restrictions”.

“This is not about whether children can access social media. It is about whether and when social media can access our children.”

Von der Leyen said the European Commission would table a legal proposal in the second half of the year and is expected to outline the proposed restrictions in September.

“We need to consider a phased and gradual access for different age ranges,” she said, adding children should only be allowed access to “safe” platforms from the age of 13 onwards.

The panel’s report, co-chaired by child psychiatrist Jorg Fegert and epidemiologist Maria Melchior, proposed a tiered approach to children’s digital access. It recommended no screen exposure for babies and toddlers, supervised use of age-appropriate social media and devices for children aged three to 12, and “evolving autonomous use” of social media and other digital platforms with “key safety features” for teenagers aged 13 to 18.

Most major social media and video-sharing platforms, including TikTok as well as Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram, currently set their minimum user age at 13.

Platforms “must prove that their services do no harm. In Europe, whoever develops a product is responsible for its safety”, von der Leyen said.

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“We are convinced that Europe must introduce protective measures to ensure the safety of children and adolescents in the digital world,” Melchior said, standing next to von der Leyen.

The EU has already intensified scrutiny of major technology companies in recent months. On Friday, it ordered Facebook and Instagram to remove what it described as “addictive” features, following a similar warning issued to TikTok in February.

The expert panel stopped short of recommending a blanket ban on children using social media, a position also not endorsed by von der Leyen.

Instead, the report noted that Australia’s experience showed children were able to circumvent outright bans, prompting the EU to favour measures requiring platforms to remove or limit features such as autoplay, infinite scrolling and push notifications.

The European Parliament had previously called for banning children under 16 from social media, although disagreement remains among lawmakers over the appropriate minimum age.

“I still believe the age should be 15, not 13. 13 is already the minimum age used by most major social media platforms today,” EU lawmaker Christel Schaldemose said in a statement following the report’s release.

Any proposal will still require negotiations between the European Parliament and EU member states before it can become law.

One of the key challenges facing the bloc is adopting a uniform policy across all 27 member states. Spain is seeking to prohibit under-16s from accessing social media, while France has proposed restrictions for children aged 15 and below. Estonia, however, remains opposed to a ban.

Von der Leyen said the European Commission would “have a very careful look” at the various national proposals.

Brussels will “integrate” their work, she said, and then prepare its own proposal to “harmonise the approach and to find a common solution”.

The EU has already strengthened its regulatory framework for technology companies and online safety, with EU consumer protection chief Michael McGrath saying a new law expected later this year will provide children with stronger protection against addictive platform design.