EU to Set Social Media Start Age for Minors
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- Ursula von der Leyen said Brussels will propose a 'social media start date for minors' with phased age-based access after summer, framing it as a response to online child safety concerns
- The European Commission is developing an open-source, secure EU age verification app framework, with an under-13 harmonized delay most likely replacing an outright ban per MEP Barry Andrews
- The policy was shaped by a Special Panel on child safety online with external co-chairs, with formal legislation due around September
- Von der Leyen stated: 'This is not about whether children can access social media. It is about when social media can access our children'
- Coverage spanned the Financial Times, NYT, Reuters, WSJ, Bloomberg, Politico, The Verge and Engadget, while X reactions split between welcoming child safety steps and warning about mandated ID verification
Why it matters: A single EU-wide under-13 threshold plus an open-source age-verification app would replace the current patchwork of national rules — every major social platform operating in Europe would need to integrate one harmonized verification system rather than navigate separate country-by-country compliance.
