EU Set to Introduce Social Media Restrictions for Children Across All Member States to Protect Mental Health and Wellbeing
By TUW
The European Union is preparing to introduce sweeping new rules aimed at restricting children’s access to social media across its 27 member states, as concerns grow over the impact of online platforms on young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the Commission intends to present a formal proposal later this year, following recommendations from an independent panel of experts. The proposed measures would introduce age-based restrictions, with children under the age of 13 allowed only limited or supervised access to social media platforms.
The recommendations also call for a phased approach to online access, giving teenagers greater access as they grow older while requiring platforms to prove their services are safe for younger users. The EU is also developing an age-verification system to help enforce the new rules while protecting users’ privacy.
The initiative follows similar moves in countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom and several European nations that have introduced or are considering stricter limits on children’s use of platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
If approved by EU institutions and member states, the legislation would become one of the bloc’s most significant efforts to improve child safety online and curb the influence of addictive social media features on young users.
