The European Union will propose a law restricting children’s access to social media, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday, joining a growing global push to curb the platforms’ impact on young users.
Speaking at a press conference, von der Leyen said the bloc needs to set the age at which children can legally access social media and consider ‘phased and gradual access for different age ranges.’
Under the plan, children younger than 13 would be allowed to use social media only in the presence of an adult, while access for older children would depend on how safe platforms make their services, von der Leyen said. The European Commission intends to present the full proposal after the summer break.
The move places the EU alongside a widening group of governments tightening rules on youth social media use. Australia introduced restrictions last year, and the United Kingdom is among other countries now planning similar curbs.
Pressure on tech platforms has also mounted through the courts. A US jury this year ordered Meta and Google to pay damages to a 20-year-old woman who said her addiction to their platforms had damaged her mental health.
Several EU member states, including France, Portugal, Denmark, Greece, Poland, Austria, Ireland and the Netherlands, are already weighing their own age restrictions, adding pressure on Brussels to set a unified, bloc-wide approach.