EU weighs tougher social media age limits for children
Ursula von der Leyen said children need phased access to social media as an EU panel urged restrictions for under-13s until platforms prove safety.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
The European Union is moving closer to tougher limits on children’s use of social media after a special panel urged restrictions for users under 13 until platforms can show they are safe. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday that children should get phased access to online services by age, putting new pressure on tech companies already facing EU scrutiny.
Von der Leyen, who is trained as a doctor, told reporters that young children need stronger protection from screens and social media. She said children under 3 should not be exposed to screens at all, and that access for older children should increase only gradually.
“I believe we need to consider phased and gradual access for different age ranges because childhood won’t wait and once it’s gone, we can never give it back,” von der Leyen said.
She compared social media rules to age limits for driving or buying alcohol, saying governments should set a legal age for children to use social platforms. Von der Leyen also said children under 13 should have only time-limited access under the supervision of parents, teachers or other caregivers.
For teenagers, von der Leyen said access should expand gradually to platforms that can prove they are age-appropriate and safe. She did not give a detailed timetable or policy text, but the European Commission is expected to develop a proposal for the EU’s 27 member countries to consider.
Panel says platforms should carry the burden
A panel created to study children’s online safety delivered its report to von der Leyen on Monday. The report said responsibility for proving safety should fall on digital service providers rather than regulators, parents or children.
“Until they demonstrate that their services are safe by design, social media and other digital services providers should have restricted access to children under the age of 13 in the EU,” the panel said in its report.
The panel also recommended that EU countries consider additional precautionary age limits for children older than 13. Its findings are expected to influence the Commission’s next steps because von der Leyen’s policy proposals carry weight with member governments.
The push comes as governments in several countries have moved to limit children’s access to social media. Australia, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Indonesia and others have passed restrictions on children under 16 or 15 using services such as TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, according to the report.
EU pressure on design features
Von der Leyen singled out infinite scrolling as an addictive design feature that technology companies should address. The European Commission has already used EU digital rules to press platforms over similar features.
Last week, the Commission warned Meta that it must disable addictive design features such as infinite scrolling or face a large fine. EU digital regulators also accused Meta earlier this year of failing to keep underage users off Instagram.
Many major platforms, including Instagram and TikTok, already say users must be at least 13 to open an account. Those rules have drawn criticism because children can often evade them.
The European Commission is also developing an age-verification app that it says would let users prove their age while keeping their identity anonymous. That tool could become part of a broader EU effort to enforce children’s access rules without requiring users to disclose more personal information than necessary.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.