EU Proposes Social Media Ban For Children Under 13, Curbs For Teenagers

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday proposed banning children under 13 across the European Union’s 27 member states from using social media, while placing restrictions on access for older teenagers.

The proposal is part of growing global efforts to protect children and teenagers from online harm.

“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 annual State of the European Union speech in Strasbourg.

“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,” she said.

‘Mini Accounts’ For Children Aged 13 To 15

Under von der Leyen’s proposal, children aged 13 to 15 would be allowed “mini accounts” supervised by guardians, with restrictions on features and the amount of time they could spend on the platforms.

For those aged 15 to 18, social media platforms would be required to provide a “safe design,” she said. Further details of the proposal are expected on Thursday.

The EU’s 27 member states will have to debate and vote on the plan. The process could take years and could also lead to tensions with US President Donald Trump, who has long criticised European technology regulations.

Von der Leyen had signalled the plan earlier this year when she said children should be introduced to social media in a “phased and gradual” manner.

Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok already prohibit children under 13 from creating accounts, but authorities have accused the companies of failing to effectively enforce the restrictions.

Some experts, however, argued that the European Commission’s proposal did not address a more fundamental problem with social media companies’ business practices, which are based on keeping users engaged with content while serving them advertisements.

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,” said Simeon de Brouwer, a policy advisor at digital rights group EDRi. The platforms will “unavoidably target them as soon as they’re a day older than the threshold.”

Countries Tighten Social Media Rules For Children

The European Commission’s proposal is the first attempt to establish an EU-wide age limit for social media and forms part of a broader international effort to protect young people online.

Individual European countries, including Spain and Portugal, have taken steps to restrict teenagers’ access to social media, reflecting regulatory moves elsewhere, including Australia and New Zealand.

Some attempts have faced legal hurdles. France’s top court last month struck down a law banning children under 15 from social media after finding that it infringed fundamental freedoms. French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to rework the proposal.

In the United States, Meta Platforms last month agreed to pay up to $18 billion and introduce stronger child-safety measures on Facebook and Instagram to resolve a trial over teenage social media addiction and settle claims brought by nearly every state.

Manfred Weber, head of the largest group in the European Parliament, spoke after von der Leyen and proposed that the EU follow Australia in allowing users to switch off social media algorithms.

“Elon Musk will not like it, but probably that is a reason for doing it,” he said.

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Von Der Leyen Raises AI Safety Concerns

Von der Leyen also addressed the intensifying debate over artificial intelligence and its potential risks, saying the European Commission would discuss efforts to slow the development of advanced AI with leading AI companies.

She said the EU would work with “like-minded partners” such as Canada and Britain.

“We want to team up on model evaluation, verification, early warning, AI security and much more,” she said.