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Europe may be taking major steps to curb social media’s grip on kids. A new proposal would place tighter guardrails on teenagers and block children under 13 from social platforms entirely, according to The Associated Press.
Here’s what to know
In her annual State of the European Union speech in Strasbourg, France, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for an EU-wide social media ban for kids under 13.
The plan would place 13-to-15-year-olds on guardian-supervised “mini accounts” that limit both features and time spent on the platforms. For users 15 to 18, companies would have to provide what von der Leyen described as a “safe design.” More details of the proposal are expected this week.
“I am aware that many perceive the power of Big Tech as overwhelming and impossible to roll back. I disagree,” von der Leyen said in her speech. “We do not have to accept addictive features. We do not have to accept children being drawn into ever more extreme content. We do not have to accept that girls have their photos used for AI-generated sexualized images.”
More background
Von der Leyen believes social media exposure for kids should be a “phased and gradual” experience. This would be the first global move to introduce a bloc-wide age limit for social media.
Technically, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok prohibit anyone under 13 from opening an account, but the enforcement is questionable, and authorities have already accused the companies of failing to uphold the rule.
What’s being done?
The EU’s 27 member nations still need to debate and vote on the proposal — a decision that could take years and ruffle the feathers of U.S. President Donald Trump, a longtime critic of Europe’s tech regulations.
However, many feel Brussels shouldn’t back down from standing up to U.S. tech companies, like Brando Benifei, an Italian Parliament member and supporter of the proposal. “You need to confront in a very frontal way the interests of platforms and Big Tech who are not happy with this,” he said.
Some feel the bigger problem is the addictive, targeting nature of the platforms themselves for all ages. Simeon de Brouwer, a policy adviser at digital rights group EDRi, said the plan “merely delays young people’s exposure to the risks of online harm instead of addressing the business model and extractive practices which fuel it.” The platforms will, he said, “unavoidably target them as soon as they’re a day older than the threshold.”
France’s Constitutional Council recently blocked a law that would have barred children under 15 from social media, finding that it infringed on freedom of expression. The decision has prompted French officials to pursue an EU-wide approach to regulating children’s access to social media.
In the United States, Meta agreed in August to pay up to $18 billion over the next decade to settle claims brought by nearly every state that Facebook and Instagram were designed to keep children engaged. The agreement also requires stronger safeguards for teen users, including daily usage limits, overnight restrictions, age-verification measures, and limits on notifications during school hours. Meta denied any wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
European Parliament leaders have also pointed to Australia, where users can turn off personalized social media algorithms and view feeds based only on content from accounts they choose to follow.
“We want to team up on model evaluation, verification, early warning, AI security, and much more,” von der Leyen said.
Where can I learn more?
These stories cover youth internet restrictions, vaping crackdowns, and online gambling risks.
• In Canada, lawmakers proposed an under-16 social media ban with exemptions for safer platforms.
• Across the internet, crypto casinos lure teenagers with frictionless betting and addiction risks.
• Kazakhstan enacted a sweeping vape ban, with violators facing prison terms.
• In Pennsylvania, officials created a new vape task force to curb youth sales.
• In the United Kingdom, a ban on single-use e-cigarettes drew calls for stronger warnings.
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