Ursula von der Leyen , president of the European Commission, presented a plan aimed at protecting children from the risks associated with certain social media platforms . The initiative aims to ban access to platforms such as Facebook , TikTok and Instagram for children under the age of 13.
“What we already have consensus on is that there should be a minimum age when children can join social media,” von der Leyen said, calling for “age-appropriate restrictions.”
The move follows similar proposals introduced in Australia, the United Kingdom, China, India, Turkey and several European countries, in response to growing concerns about the impact that social media could have on children’s mental health.
“Today, our children are interacting with some of the most sophisticated technologies ever created, and they are not designed with their well-being and development at the heart of it,” von der Leyen said during a press conference.
The proposed reform of the European Child Protection Law “will set clear boundaries in the digital world, just as we do every day in the real world,” she added.
Do European laws conflict with each other?
The non-profit organization CCIA Europe, which represents major technology companies in Europe, including Google and Meta , warned of potential privacy risks that could arise from this proposal and noted that it could conflict with the requirements of other European Union laws.
“Collecting on such a scale data on age, identity documents and information relating to children and their parents or guardians would undoubtedly create an attractive target for cybercriminals,” said CCIA Europe director Daniel Friedlaender.
“The Children’s Law creates legal overlap and duplication of regulations, which ultimately weakens the protection of children and consumers,” he added.
More parental control and stricter rules
Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal would give parents more control over the accounts of young people aged 13 to 15. The initiative will be discussed over the coming months by European Union member states and the European Parliament, before it can become law.
Social media accounts, video services, online video games and chatbots intended for users under the age of 18 will be subject to a set of stricter rules.
These include banning features considered addictive, such as infinite scrolling and autoplay videos. The proposal also aims to limit algorithm-driven recommendations, personalized profiling, reward-based engagement mechanisms, and unwanted contacts from unknown people.
Another request from the European Parliament is that platforms be forced to implement child-safe designs and algorithms, as well as offer simple tools for parental control.
In addition, big tech companies will have to strengthen age verification systems for anyone who wants to open an account. Companies that fail to comply with these rules could face fines of up to 6% of their annual global revenue. They will also be forced to invest more resources in content monitoring and moderation.