EU says it will target social media features affecting minors and consider new age-limit rules
The Facts
- Ursula von der Leyen said the EU is working on measures to protect children and young people from harms linked to social media.
- She said the EU plans to act this year against social media design practices it considers harmful, including features such as endless scrolling, autoplay and push notifications.
- Von der Leyen specifically said the EU is taking action involving TikTok and also raised concerns about Meta's Instagram and Facebook over enforcement of the platforms' minimum age of 13.
- The announcement was made at the European Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Children in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Von der Leyen said the EU should consider delaying children's access to social media and that a legislative proposal could come as early as this summer.
- An expert panel has been asked to report by July on steps the EU should take to protect minors online, and its findings are meant to inform any proposal.
- The issue has gained momentum because several EU member states are already pushing for stricter limits on minors' use of social media, increasing pressure for an EU-wide approach.
- What remains unresolved is the final form of any EU legislation, including whether the bloc will set a minimum age or adopt another type of access restriction for minors.
How left and right are reading this
- Both agree
- Harm to minors from social media design and access is treated as a real policy problem requiring EU action, with the unresolved task being how to translate that concern into rules that protect children and young people.
- They split on
- Less a disagreement than a question of emphasis: making child protections consistent across member states, versus making any EU rule on minors' access and harmful design clear, workable, and informed by the expert panel.
Analytical frames for this storyTap to explore
Context
What kinds of platform features is the EU targeting?
Von der Leyen said the EU is focusing on design practices that keep users engaged, including endless scrolling, autoplay and push notifications, and linked that effort to broader work under the Digital Fairness Act CNBC,Reuters,ANSA.it.
Is the EU proposing a social media ban for children right now?
Not yet. Von der Leyen said the EU should consider a "social media delay" for children and that a proposal could come this summer, but only after an expert panel reports by July on options for protecting minors online RTE.ie,BBC,Franceinfo.
Why is this becoming an EU-level issue now?
Multiple member states have been pressing for stronger protections for minors online, with countries including Denmark, France, Spain and Greece cited as backing tougher limits, which has increased pressure on Brussels to act at the bloc level Euronews English,BBC.
View all 89 sources
Wire services (5)
ReutersGlobal Banking & Finance ReviewEU Plans New Rules to Protect Children from Social Media Har...
Independent coverage (50)
AskanewsVon der Leyen: ipotesi di posticipare accesso social media p...
Комментарии УкраинаБрюссель против фон дер Ляйен: почему в ЕС назревает бунт
DnevnikVon der Leynova za poleti napovedala predlog glede omejitve ...
ECOVon der Leyen quer propor que crianças só usem redes sociais...
Hurriyet Daily NewsEU considering social media 'delay' for children - World New...
PublicoUrsula von der Leyen quer propor que crianças só usem redes ...
Diario La RepúblicaUnión Europea prepara normas para proteger a niños y jóvenes...
РБК-УкраинаУ Євросоюзі критикують надмірну владу фон дер Ляєн, - Bloomb...
РБК-УкраинаВ Евросоюзе критикуют чрезмерную власть фон дер Ляйен, - Blo...
The Jakarta PostEU chief turns up heat on social media's 'addictive' design ...
La Voz de GaliciaVon der Leyen pide limitar la edad de acceso en las redes so...
MMC RTV SlovenijaVon der Leyen: EU bi moral preučiti možnost omejitve dostopa...
BBCEU needs to delay social media access for children - von der...
Emirates24|7EU targets social media 'addictive design' with new child pr...
ForUmУ ЄС невдоволені владою фон дер Ляєн
storyboard18.comEU targets TikTok, Instagram over 'addictive design' feature...
Abruzzo24oreVon der Leyen sfida i social: stretta europea contro la dipe...
Ara en CastellanoVon der Leyen carga contra las 'big-tech' y se abre a establ...
Primorske NoviceEU poleti s predlogom o omejitvi družbenih omrežij za otroke
infobaeLa presidenta de la Comisión Europea propuso limitar el acce...
RTVI"Одержима властью": в ЕС зреет недовольство Урсулой фон дер ...
Investing.com РоссияЕС нацелится на аддиктивные функции TikTok и Instagram От In...
OpenUe, entro fine estate il divieto di accesso ai social per i ...
euronewsVon der Leyen abre a porta à proibição de redes sociais para...
CNN Portugal"A questão não é se os jovens devem ter acesso às redes soci...
CNEWSUnion européenne : Ursula von der Leyen envisage de "différe...
LMFMEU targets social media to protect children, von der Leyen s...
Yeni ŞafakEU's von der Leyen urges stronger child online protection
euronewsVers une interdiction des réseaux pour les enfants dans tout...
Yahoo NewsVon der Leyen ouvre la voie à une interdiction des réseaux s...
Secolo d'ItaliaIa, social e minori, Von der Leyen prepara stretta Ue: "I ba...
Life.ru"Узурпирует власть": В ЕК недовольны стилем управления фон д...
20 minutosVon der Leyen acusa a las grandes tecnológicas de "lucrarse"...
Коммерсант.ruBloomberg: чиновники ЕС обвинили фон дер Ляйен в стремлении ...
Canarias7Von der Leyen afirma que la discusión sobre la edad mínima e...
Euronews EnglishVon der Leyen opens door to EU-wide social media ban for chi...
The Next WebUrsula Von der Leyen pushes EU-wide social-media age protect...
CNBCEU to crack down on TikTok, Instagram's 'addictive design' t...
FranceinfoLa Commission européenne envisage d'imposer un âge minimum p...
STA d.o.o.Von der Leyen za poleti napovedala predlog glede omejitve do...
Anadolu AjansıEU Commission chief urges stronger child protection online a...
IL TEMPOVon der Leyen: ipotesi di posticipare accesso social media p...
РамблерНа Западе уличили фон дер Ляйен в одержимости одним желанием
Spletni portal, ki mu lahko zaupate - Žurnal24Konec družbenih omrežij za otroke? EU pripravlja veliko prep...
oreanda-news.comСМИ: фон дер Ляйен пытается узурпировать власть в ЕК
El EspañolVon der Leyen sugiere prohibir por ley en toda la UE el acce...
РамблерВ ЕС возмутились злоупотреблением властью со стороны фон дер...
Notícias ao MinutoVon der Leyen quer acesso a redes sociais só em idade mais a...
Tuoi tre newsEU targets social media to protect children, von der Leyen s...
Executive Digest - A leitura indispensável para executivosVon der Leyen quer propor que crianças só usem redes sociais...
About these frames
The First Responder: Who gets hurt or helped. Quality of life, vulnerable groups, public health, human cost and benefit.
The Advocate: Liberty, speech, privacy, autonomy, rights, consent, choice. What freedoms are at stake.
The Watchdog: Wrongdoing, responsibility, corruption, transparency. Who knew what, when, and what they did about it.
The Architect: Stability, law, enforcement, institutional design, separation of powers, regulatory process, rule of law. How are order and governance maintained?
The Analyst: Costs, jobs, inflation, growth, incentives, markets, tradeoffs. Follow the money.
The Guardian: Sanctity, degradation, bodily autonomy, moral boundaries, human dignity, bioethics, environmental purity. Where are the lines that should not be crossed?
See this differently than someone you know would? Two ways to keep it going.
The dial works on any URL — paste an article you read elsewhere this week.