EU to limit children's access to social media through phased restrictions

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a new strategy to implement "phased and gradual access" for children on social media platforms following recommendations from an expert panel. The proposed framework moves away from a blanket ban in favor of age-appropriate restrictions and supervised use for younger children to mitigate digital harms. This shift is significant for the social media sector as it signals a move toward harmonized EU-wide regulations that could force major platforms to dismantle addictive design features and prove their services are safe for minors.

Following a report from a panel of experts including child psychiatrist Jorg Fegert and epidemiologist Maria Melchior, the EU is moving toward a legal proposal expected in the second half of the year to regulate how minors interact with digital platforms. The recommendations advise a total absence of screens for babies and toddlers, followed by supervised access to "age-appropriate" social media for children aged 3 to 12. For adolescents aged 13 to 18, the panel suggests "evolving autonomous use" of platforms, provided they incorporate key safety features. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that the responsibility for safety lies with the developers, stating that platforms must prove their services do no harm.

The EU's approach marks a departure from the blanket ban model recently adopted by Australia, as experts found children often find workarounds to simple age blocks. Instead, the Commission is focusing on "safety by design," targeting specific features such as autoplay, infinite scroll, and push notifications that are deemed addictive. This follows recent actions where the EU ordered Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, as well as TikTok, to dismantle features designed to capture and hold user attention. EU consumer protection chief Michael McGrath noted that the upcoming legislation aims to ensure digital markets do not manipulate behavior or unfairly influence young consumers.

Significant political hurdles remain as the Commission attempts to harmonize age limits across 27 member states with conflicting views. While some EU lawmakers, such as Christel Schaldemose, advocate for a minimum age of 15, others like Spain and France are pushing for limits at 16 and 15 respectively, while nations like Estonia oppose bans entirely. The forthcoming proposal seeks to resolve these discrepancies and create a unified standard for the bloc. For the social media industry, these developments suggest a future of increased compliance costs and the potential necessity of fundamental UI/UX changes to meet European safety standards for younger demographics.