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EU Aims to Set Minimum Age for Social Media Use
Confirmed
In Short: European Union leaders are set to outline new proposals for a single minimum age across the bloc for social media use, with plans to ban children under 13 from using platforms without parental supervision.
The European Commission, under President Ursula von der Leyen, is expected to outline these proposals in her annual State of the Union speech to the European Parliament next Wednesday. According to reports, the plans include a ban on social media for children under 13 and allow only limited, supervised access until the age of 15. "The same standard must apply online," said a spokesperson from the coalition agreement.
The proposals, known as the "EU Kids Act," aim to protect children from the negative impacts of social media on their physical and mental health. "No social media under the age of 13," confirmed von der Leyen during her keynote address. The EU will also introduce safeguards to protect children from abuse and addictive behavior, and companies offering AI chatbots will have to avoid designs that encourage unhealthy emotional attachments.
Australia became the first country to ban social media for under-16s last year, triggering similar moves in other countries. The European Union's approach will be gradual, with tiered age limits and tailored protection levels for different age groups.
What's confirmed
- European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is expected to outline how the bloc can can limit social media by children in her annual State of the Union speech to the European Parliament next Wednesday.
What's still developing
- The Netherlands and Spain have sent joint proposals to the European Commission calling for a single minimum age across the bloc, with privacy-friendly age checks.
- See more DutchNews articles in your Google search results See more DutchNews articles in your Google search results The government has backed an EU-wide minimum age for social media, ahead of proposals from Brussels expected next week.
- The European Commission are set to confirm that children and teenagers under the age of 15 will not be able to set up a social media account without the parental consent or guardian permission, with those under the age of 13 only able to access "child friendly alternatives".
- The ban is set to be outlined in the Kids Act, which will be published on Thursday, reports Financial Times.
- According to a draft proposal seen by FT, children under 13 will only be allowed access with supervision from a parent, while children between 13 and 15 will need parental consent to create accounts with parental controls and other restrictions like time limits.
- The EU will ban children under 13 from using social media platforms, some gaming platforms, and AI chatbots without parental supervision.
- A global backlash against social media has piled pressure on policymakers, with a rising body of evidence showing negative impacts on children's physical and mental health.