The European Union is considering a crackdown on social media for minors

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that the community executive could present a legislative proposal within a few months, after examining the recommendations of a panel of experts released today. Von der Leyen summarized the issue by saying that the issue is not about whether children can access social media, but rather when social media can access children.

The panel proposed a differentiated approach by age group: no screen for children under three years of age, supervised internet use for under 13s and some limitations for older adolescents. The experts also recommended placing the onus on platforms to demonstrate the safety of their services for underage users, a principle that von der Leyen said she supports.

The president of the Commission specified that the community executive will examine the report and present any proposals after the summer break. Any legislation will still need to gain approval from the European Parliament and the 27 member states before it can come into force across the bloc. A formal proposal would give impetus to global efforts to limit the use of social media by minors, a front that several countries, including the United Kingdom and Australia, are already moving towards with active proposals or legislation.

The new rules would also increase pressure on platforms to demonstrate the safety of their services for younger users. A preliminary EU investigation has already found that Meta violates the Digital Services Act due to the “addictive” nature of Facebook and Instagram’s design. A similar complaint was made about TikTok earlier this year.