Ursula von der Leyen pledges EU-wide social media ban for children | Social media bans

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has promised an EU-wide social media ban on children after an expert group called for restrictions for those under 13.

“It’s clear we need age-appropriate restrictions on platforms,” ​​von der Leyen told reporters after the publication of a report. report About child safety online.

“This is not about whether children can access social media. It is about whether and when social media can access our children,” she said in remarks that also referred to “predatory algorithms”.

While promising a draft law in the autumn, he declined to specify a minimum age but said he found the panel’s “phased approach” to internet use (recommendations by age group) “very convincing”.

The panel, co-chaired by German child and adolescent psychiatrist Jörg Fegert and French epidemiologist Maria Melchior, called for an EU-wide postponement of “social media plus” for under-13s. “Social media plus” refers to other platforms that use similar features, such as video games or AI chatbots.

He suggested that member states’ governments could opt for higher “precautionary” age restrictions on social media use.

At least ten EU countries have announced plans for bans on children. France has vowed to ban social media for under-15s, and Spain is seeking restrictions for under-16s. Restrictions on children under 15 in Greece will come into force on January 1, 2027.

Estonia one One voice against the measuresHe advocates focusing on regulating platforms because children will find a way around any ban.

Australia became the first country in the world to ban minors from accessing social media; This policy, in theory, at least prevents those under the age of 16 from accessing platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, SnapChat and TikTok.

EU officials also say the internet should be secure by design. “We don’t expect children to design their own seat belts. We don’t expect parents to install airbags at home,” von der Leyen said.

The commission has already concluded preliminary indictments against Meta and TikTok in cases that could force the companies to change the “addictive” nature of their apps. The commission, which reached a similar conclusion against TikTok in April, said in a statement on Friday that the owner of Facebook and Instagram could not cope with the risks of its addictive design on users.

Both companies rejected the commission’s findings and investigations are ongoing.

In both cases, the EU investigation highlighted that features such as infinite scrolling, automatic video playback, push notifications and highly personalized algorithms for feeding content to users are problematic.

Experts’ advice on using social media is based on safe internet. It stated that from age 13 onwards, “adolescents should benefit from the evolving autonomous use of social media and other digital services that are age-appropriate and safe.”

Explaining the rationale behind the age set for the ban, an expert said that ages 10 to 13 are a “very sensitive period” for children and that research in the US has shown “quite a lot of harm” from social media use at this age among girls, especially when it comes to body image. “The sooner you start, the higher [impact] “They are addictive features,” they said.

The expert suggested EU member states could impose precautionary restrictions on social media beyond the age of 13, but there was “not a lot of hard data” to set a cut-off point. They said, “Is it harmful up to the age of 14, 15, 16? It also has harmful properties for adults.”

A second expert noted that as the brain continues to develop, there is a risk of addictive behavior and emotional problems by age 25. “We are definitely not saying that children should use social media plus after the age of 13,” they said.

The report also states that the 13 to 15 age range represents “peak vulnerability to mental health issues” and that increased sensitivity to social comparison, feedback and exclusion creates vulnerabilities for social media and users.

The group recommends that screens should not be used by under-threes, except in limited situations such as video calls or looking at family photos. This also raises concerns about the use of AI-powered toys and voice-based devices for babies and toddlers because they may encourage a response “without true reciprocity or emotional attunement” from a human caregiver.

For those aged 3 to 12, the group recommends limited use of the Internet with a caregiver or teacher and gradually reducing supervision.

The EU draft law will need to be accepted by a weighted majority of European member states and the European parliament.