EU Prepares New Age Limits for Social Media Users

The European Commission could unveil a proposal as early as September to introduce an EU-wide minimum age for children's use of social media.

According to Euractiv, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen could announce the initiative during her annual State of the European Union address in Strasbourg on 16 September.

The proposal would mark Brussels’ most significant move yet to restrict minors’ access to social media. In recent months, several member states have urged EU institutions to strengthen protections for children online.

According to Euractiv's sources, Commission officials have already informally briefed some member states on the planned initiative. However, it remains unclear what the minimum age would be or how it would be enforced.

Options under consideration include parental consent and age verification systems.

The legal basis for the proposal has yet to be finalized. However, the initiative could pave the way for new EU legislation or regulations requiring social media platforms to prevent children below a specified age from creating accounts.

An expert advisory group is due to publish its recommendations on 13 July. Several countries, including France, Spain, Germany, Denmark and Greece, have already introduced their own measures aimed at protecting children on social media.

(euractiv, bak)