Europe limits children’s use of social media through “phased” access by age

European President Ursula von der Leyen has committed to banning social media for children under 13, following in the footsteps of countries including… Australia and UK.

“The more we learn, and the more we see the impact on our children, the stronger the argument becomes for when we started using social media,” she said. In a statement. “It’s not about whether kids have access to social media,” she said. “It’s about when social media can reach our kids.”

Von der Leyen’s pledge comes after a report commissioned by the Special Committee on Child Internet Safety was published on Monday. The report recommended “gradual and progressive access” to social media based on age, which von der Leyen said was likely to inform upcoming legislation, with a bill expected this fall.

Several European countries, including France, Italy, Greece and Spain, are already working to ban individual social media for children, but von der Leyen said it was clear that action at the European level was also needed. Australia, which was the first country to impose a social media ban for children six months ago, is currently serving as a testbed for the legislation. It has problems to begin with, as many children find ways to bypass age verifications, leading to increased government penalties on platforms that fail to stop young people from using their services.

In the European Union, A European-wide age verification app It is scheduled to be available soon which will help the bloc navigate through platforms that identify ages that it does not want children to have access to. In April, von der Leyen said the app was technically ready and would be available soon, but the real test of its effectiveness would only come when it was deployed.

“This will not be guaranteed,” von der Leyen said. “Big change never happens overnight, but when it comes to our safety, it’s always worth it. And when it comes to social media, research shows that timing matters.”

Is the European approach unique?

Megan Jenkins, an analyst at Assembly Research, said the EU is not the first to consider legislating on the issue, but unlike the UK, it is not simply copying what Australia has done.

“What the committee is proposing is not a blanket ban, as children under 13 will still be able to access social media, but they will need parental consent to do so,” she said. “It sounds similar to restrictions in countries like Brazil and Portugal, which require accounts held by people under 16 to be linked to a parent’s account, while addressing addictive design features like infinite scrolling, autoplay, and push notifications.”

The EU has never been afraid to take on big tech companies, and already has strong legislation (the Digital Safety Act) in place that requires tech companies to make their platforms safe by design. Earlier this year, the European Commission demanded TikTok is changing its ‘addictive design’ algorithm. Or face a hefty fine.

This current framework could make the European approach unique, as platforms would face a “burden of proof” to prove they are safe to use before children and teens can access them, Jenkins said. “This would put more responsibility on tech companies than a blanket ban, which usually does not ultimately force these companies to make their platforms more secure.”

Amnesty International, which has previously criticized outright bans on social media for teenagers, said statement The EU proposals were a “positive step for the digital safety of children or young people.”

European Union rules governing children’s use of social media may also extend beyond traditional social media platforms, von der Leyen said on Monday. “Evidence shows that this relates mainly to social media platforms, but also to other service providers with age-inappropriate and addictive features,” she said. “So think of it as an added benefit of social media. And when we have that clearly defined category, I think we need to think about phased and gradual outreach to different age groups.”

However, it is important to remember that at this time, no actual bill has been published, Jenkins added. “Von der Leyen is expected to propose measures in September, but they may differ from what the committee recommended,” she said.