EU weighs new limits on children’s access to social media, with possible proposal this summer
The Facts
- Ursula von der Leyen said the European Commission is considering new EU-level measures to delay or limit minors’ access to social media.
- Von der Leyen said an expert group is preparing recommendations on protecting children online, and those recommendations are expected before the Commission decides whether to move ahead with legislation.
- She said the Commission could present a legislative proposal as early as this summer, depending on the expert group’s findings.
- Von der Leyen made the comments in Copenhagen during an event focused on artificial intelligence, children, and online safety.
- In explaining the push for new rules, von der Leyen cited risks to children linked to social media use, including sleep problems, anxiety, depression, cyberbullying, exploitation, and addictive behavior.
- The Commission is also pursuing action against platform design features it says can drive compulsive use by minors, with that work tied to the planned Digital Fairness Act later this year.
- The issue is under active discussion across the EU: von der Leyen said debate over a minimum age for social media can no longer be ignored, and reports said multiple member states want the need for such a threshold assessed.
- What remains unresolved is the substance of any EU proposal: Commission officials said von der Leyen referred to delaying access rather than announcing an outright ban, and no specific age limit or enforcement model has been detailed.
How left and right are reading this
- Both agree
- New EU action is being seriously prepared around the premise that minors face real online harms and that any move to delay access or curb compulsive platform design will hinge on recommendations still being finalized.
- They split on
- Less a disagreement than a question of emphasis: the urgency of reducing documented harms to children, versus the need to define the actual policy first because no age threshold, enforcement model, or outright ban has been specified.
Analytical frames for this storyTap to explore
Context
What exactly did von der Leyen propose?
She said the EU should consider delaying or limiting children’s access to social media, rather than announcing a finalized ban. She also said a legislative proposal could be presented this summer if the expert group’s recommendations support it DH.be,ANSA.it,Adnkronos.
Why is the EU considering this now?
Von der Leyen linked the effort to concerns about harms to minors online, including sleep disruption, anxiety, depression, cyberbullying, exploitation, and compulsive use. She also said the EU wants to address platform design practices that it believes intensify those risks uol.com.br,Haberler,Euronews English.
What is still undecided?
The Commission has not set out a specific minimum age, the exact legal mechanism, or how any restriction would be enforced. Officials also clarified that von der Leyen spoke about delaying access, and that the next step depends on recommendations from the expert group Terra,ANSA.it,Adnkronos.
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Wire services (2)
Independent coverage (50)
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