EU to impose 13+ age limit for unsupervised social media access

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BRUSSELS — The European Union will impose a minimum age for young internet users to access social media without parental supervision, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday.

“It is very clear that we need age-appropriate restrictions to platforms. This is not about whether children can access social media. It is about whether and when social media can access our children,” she said.

Von der Leyen presented a report by a panel of experts she convened last year to look into policies to fight social media harms. The report on Monday recommended that minors under 13 years of age should only have “time-limited” access to social media and with parental supervision.

The EU announcement comes after a years-long push to deal with the mental and physical health risks social media pose to minors. Von der Leyen has made the issue a top priority in her second term heading the EU executive. Capitals like Athens, Copenhagen and Paris have also been pushing for age restrictions — and non-EU countries including Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Social media platforms already limit access to users under 13 because they cannot consent to have their data processed according to EU privacy rules.

Von der Leyen suggested parents should also have control over social media age limits. “Children should only be exposed to social media under the supervision of parents, of caregivers teachers, and time-limited,” she said.

“This won’t be foolproof, and change takes time,” she said. She added that people will eventually change their behavior, as they did when seat belts were introduced for road safety.

Von der Leyen said the bloc would consider age restrictions for other online services too, and will start work on determining which platforms are harmful to minors.

The Commission wants to impose “phased and gradual access for different age ranges,” she said, adding: “Childhood won’t wait, and once it’s gone, we can never give it back.”

The panel also recommended that children are not exposed to screens below three and then gradually are introduced to social media and other technology until 13 under supervision.