EU could propose social media ban for children this summer, von der Leyen says

Key Points:

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU may propose a bloc-wide social media ban for children as early as this summer to enhance online protections for minors amid growing pressure from member states.
• Countries like France, Spain, Greece, and Denmark are advocating for stricter controls to shield children from addictive online platforms, with some already pursuing national legislation.
• The Commission has set up an independent expert panel to evaluate measures addressing issues such as addiction and social anxiety among minors, with a potential legal proposal on social media age restrictions expected following the panel's findings.
• A key challenge remains implementing a common technical solution for age verification, with discussions ongoing about an EU age-verification app inspired by the EU Digital COVID Certificate, despite concerns from some governments and cybersecurity experts.
• The EU is also scrutinizing platforms like Instagram and Snapchat under the Digital Services Act for inadequate child protection and is considering banning addictive design features under the proposed Digital Fairness Act.