Social media limits are coming for teens across Europe

The European Union is weighing sweeping caller restrictions connected children’s and teenagers’ entree to societal media, including property limits, an outright ban, and phased access. Social media platforms could besides beryllium forced to beryllium their services are not harmful earlier young group are allowed to usage them.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc’s executive limb could propose caller authorities wrong months, aft reviewing recommendations from a sheet of experts released today. “This is not astir whether children tin entree societal media. It is astir erstwhile societal media tin entree our children,” von der Leyen said.

The sheet recommended utilizing a phased approach, including “no screens astatine all” for children nether 3, supervised net usage for those nether 13, and immoderate limits for older teens. It besides said societal media platforms should person to beryllium their services are safe to younger users, an attack von der Leyen said she supports.

Von der Leyen said the Commission will see the study and return pinch proposals “after the summer.” Any authorities would still request support from the European Parliament and the EU’s 27 personnel countries earlier becoming rule crossed the bloc. A general connection would adhd important momentum to world efforts to curb children’s usage of societal media, joining a increasing database of proposals aliases progressive regulations successful countries including the UK and Australia.

New rules would besides adhd important unit connected platforms to show their services are safe to younger users. A preliminary investigation successful the EU already recovered Meta to beryllium successful breach of its Digital Services Act past week complete the “addictive” creation of Facebook and Instagram. A akin uncovering was besides issued against TikTok earlier this year.