Brussels is preparing sweeping new restrictions on young children’s access to social media across the European Union, in what European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has billed as the bloc’s most ambitious effort yet to protect minors online.
Ms von der Leyen unveiled a report by two experts recommending an age-tiered system of access, under which children under 13 would only be allowed onto social-media platforms for limited periods and under the watchful eye of parents, guardians or educators. Those restrictions would ease gradually as children move into their teenage years.
“We clearly need age-appropriate limits on platforms,” Ms von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels. “The question is no longer whether children face risks online, but how we can give them a safer start in the digital world.”
The Commission president signalled that Brussels is minded to adopt the experts’ recommendations in full, with a detailed plan expected to be unveiled after the summer. The initiative is likely to be formally announced during her annual address to the European Parliament in September.
Ms von der Leyen said officials must first pin down exactly which platforms pose a risk to children before any restrictions can be rolled out. “Once we clearly identify that category, I believe we should consider gradual, tiered access for different age groups,” she said.
