EU member states have supported the idea of introducing a minimum age for access to social networks, while emphasizing the need to protect minors and preserve national powers in this matter. This is reported by DPA, writes UNN.
The European Council emphasizes the importance of protecting minors, in particular through the establishment of a "digital age of majority" for access to social networks, with respect for national competencies.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently gave new impetus to this discussion, calling for a minimum age for social media use to be set across the EU. A group of experts is to present recommendations on the best way forward by the end of the year.
"More can and must be done to better protect children online," a commission spokesman said.
Von der Leyen compared possible age restrictions for social media to bans on tobacco and alcohol consumption.
She also drew attention to the example of Australia, where in November 2024, the parliament passed a law restricting access to social media for children and adolescents. According to the new rules, only persons aged 16 and over will be able to use the platforms. The measure will come into force in December.
The European Commission is already working on the technical foundations for implementing age restrictions. A program for age verification is being developed, designed to protect minors online. The goal is to create reliable age verification systems for content that is not suitable for children.
Recall
Governments around the world are increasingly introducing online age verification to protect children from harmful content. For example, in July, the UK obliged pornography sites to verify that users are 18 years old.
In the US, the Supreme Court has allowed individual states to adopt similar rules, and in Ireland, mandatory age verification for video sharing services was introduced this summer.
From December 10, new rules will also come into force in Australia. They will apply to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, Snapchat, and other popular platforms. According to the government's plan, these restrictions are intended to protect children from algorithms and features that force them to spend more and more time online and expose them to dangerous content.
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