The European Union is set to introduce new regulations aimed at limiting children's access to social media. This initiative is supported by Greece, France, and Spain. The goal is to establish common European standards governing the use of platforms like TikTok and Instagram by minors without parental consent. Politico reports on this development.
It has been proposed to set a unified "digital adulthood age" across the EU, which would prevent children from using social media without permission until they reach this age. EU digital policy ministers are expected to discuss this proposal in June. Denmark, which will soon take over the EU Council presidency, has announced plans to prioritize child safety online. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has already endorsed the idea of banning social media for those under 15.
This initiative arises amid growing concerns about the negative impacts of social media on children. French President Emmanuel Macron has been advocating for this idea for several months, believing that children under 15 need protection from certain online behaviors. Last year, France passed a law limiting access to social media for minors under 15, though its implementation is not yet complete.
The initiative suggests mandatory age verification at the device level, along with new European standards that would limit features like auto-playing videos and content personalization. This may face resistance from companies like Apple and Google, which prefer to avoid device-level restrictions. In contrast, Meta supports age verification at the app level.
Proponents of the initiative emphasize that protecting children from digital risks requires collective action across the EU. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed that a blanket ban is ineffective and that focus should be on age verification. France, Spain, and Greece are also set to test a special age verification app developed by the European Commission.
Interestingly, the issue of restricting children's access to social media is gaining momentum globally, especially following Australia’s announcement of plans to set a minimum age of 16 for account creation on various social media platforms starting in 2024.
