EU to ban children under 13 from social media after report

The European Commission will propose restricting social media access for children under 13 and phasing in limits for older minors, President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday, following an expert panel's recommendations on child safety online.

"Social media is not a toy," von der Leyen said in a statement addressed to Professor Jörg Fegert and Dr. Maria Melchior, co-chairs of the commission's special panel. "The status quo, a world where we continue to allow big tech unrestricted access to our children, will only consign another generation to more mental harm, addiction and misery."

The panel recommended that children under 13 should have only supervised, time-limited access to social media platforms, while children under three should be restricted from screens entirely. For those aged 13 to 18, the commission is considering a phased approach with graduated restrictions based on age. The proposal, expected after the summer, will target not just social media but also other digital services with "age-inappropriate and addictive features," von der Leyen said.

The move aligns the EU with a growing global push to restrict minors' access to social media amid mounting evidence of mental health harms. Australia became the first country to ban children under 16 from social media in 2025, the UK enforced a similar ban in June 2026, and Florida has started enforcing a ban for under-14s. The commission is also piloting an age-verification app to verify whether users are over 18 to access restricted online content.

The burden of compliance falls squarely on technology companies rather than parents or regulators, von der Leyen said, drawing a parallel to automotive safety standards.

"In Europe, whoever develops a product is responsible for its safety. Car manufacturers must make their vehicles safe. We do not expect children to design their own seatbelts. We do not expect parents to fit airbags at home. And the very same must be true for big tech," she said.

The commission has already taken enforcement action against major platforms under the Digital Services Act. Brussels shared preliminary findings earlier this month that Meta's Instagram and Facebook employ addictive designs that breach the act, following a similar warning to TikTok in February. The DSA gives the commission authority to impose fines of as much as 6 percent of a company's global annual revenue for noncompliance.

Scope and legal challenges

The most legally difficult element may be defining which services fall under the new rules, said Peter Van Dyck, a partner at law firm A&O Shearman in Brussels. The expert report refers to services beyond traditional social media, including AI companions, video-sharing platforms and video games that may have age-inappropriate or addictive features.

"That breadth may be understandable from a child-protection perspective, but it makes legal certainty absolutely critical," Van Dyck said. "If concepts such as 'age-inappropriate', 'harmful' or 'addictive' are not crisply defined, companies, parents, regulators and children will all be left guessing where the line is."

EU member states are divided on the approach. Spain wants to ban under-16s from social networks, while France proposes prohibiting children aged 15 and under. Estonia opposes a ban entirely. Digital rights groups including Reset Tech have called for a "safety-by-design" approach that targets specific features such as infinite scroll and surveillance advertising rather than imposing blanket age restrictions.

"If features such as infinite scroll or surveillance advertising aren't safe, they shouldn't be on social media in the first place," said Michiel van Hulten, EU director at Reset Tech.

EU consumer protection chief Michael McGrath said new rules expected later this year will give children stronger protection against addictive design. "Digital markets are designed to capture attention and influence behavior. The new rules will help ensure consumers can make informed choices free from manipulation," McGrath said.

The commission's proposal, expected after the summer recess, will need approval from the European Parliament and member states before taking effect. The timeline for implementation remains unclear, but von der Leyen signaled urgency. "Childhood won't wait, and once it's gone, we can never give it back," she said.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.