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EU wants 13+ age restriction for social media
politico.eu • • general
Key Points:
- The European Union will set a minimum age for unsupervised social media access, aiming to protect children from online harms, according to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
- A panel of experts recommended that children under 13 should have only time-limited social media access with parental supervision.
- The move follows ongoing concerns over social media's impact on minors' mental and physical health, with similar age restriction efforts underway in several EU capitals and non-EU countries.
- Social media platforms already restrict users under 13 due to EU privacy rules, and the Commission plans to extend age restrictions to other online services deemed harmful to minors.
- The EU emphasizes gradual introduction to screens and technology, advising no screen exposure before age three and supervised access thereafter until age 13.
