EU to propose phased social media age limits for minors
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- Ursula von der Leyen said the European Commission will propose, after the summer, a "social media start date for minors" with "gradual access" tied to different ages, responding to concerns over child safety online.
- The proposal centers on a harmonised EU-wide delay for children under 13, built on an open-source secure EU age verification app framework, with MEP Barry Andrews noting this likely rules out an Australian-style outright ban.
- Politico frames the plan as a "13+ age restriction," while 9to5Mac, The Mac Observer, and Digital Trends describe a ban for kids under 13 with phased access afterwards — the same policy rendered as either a threshold or a prohibition depending on outlet.
- The Wall Street Journal reports the formal proposal is coming "later this year," and Reuters confirms von der Leyen personally announced the initiative rather than it emerging from a Commission work program.
- Keith Mills publicly cautioned that the EU should study Australia's experience, which he called "patchy," before proceeding with the age-gating framework.
- On-platform reactions split sharply: von der Leyen herself framed it as "when social media can access our children," while critics including Dries Van Langenhove and @lokijulianus attacked the plan as overreach and a path to mandatory ID for internet use.
Why it matters: The EU is positioning itself as the first major regulator to pair a binding age floor with a state-built verification app, setting a template that platforms operating across 27 member states will have to implement. The under-13 baseline with phased access — not an outright Australian-style ban — narrows the most aggressive enforcement scenario while still forcing every major platform to integrate EU-built age checks.
