EU Unveils Plan To Ban Social Media For Under-13s, Restrict Access Until 15

The European Union will ban social media for children under 13 and allow only limited, supervised access until age 15, under plans unveiled Wednesday by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen. She confirmed a “gradual” approach during her annual keynote address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, saying children aged 13 to under 15 would be restricted to parent-supervised “mini accounts” with limited features and a one-hour daily time restriction, while platforms would face a “safe design” obligation for users aged 15 to 18.

Von der Leyen paid tribute to a 14-year-old Belgian girl, Olea, who died by suicide a month earlier after being bullied online, quoting her mother as saying she believed her daughter would still be alive without social media. The proposed “KIDS Act,” to be formally presented by tech chief Henna Virkkunen in Strasbourg on Thursday, would also ban addictive design features such as infinite scrolling for children, with platforms facing fines of up to six per cent of annual turnover for violations.

The move follows Australia’s ban on social media for under-16s last year and comes amid pressure from EU member states including France, Denmark and Greece. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose country has taken similar steps, was present for the address. Digital and children’s rights groups raised concerns over implementation, including a related age-verification app the EU is preparing, with European consumer group BEUC’s Agustin Reyna warning that age verification “is not a silver bullet” and raises privacy concerns. The proposal will require negotiation between EU capitals and Parliament before becoming law, a process expected to take months.