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European President Ursula von der Leyen has committed to banning social media for under-13s, following in the footsteps of countries including Australia and the UK.
"The more we learn, and the more we see the impact on our children, the stronger the argument becomes for a social media start date," she said in a statement. "This is not about whether children can access social media," she said. "It is about when social media can access our children."
Von der Leyen's pledge follows the publication on Monday of a report commissioned by her from the Special Panel on Child Safety Online. The report recommended "phased and gradual access" to social media based on age, which von der Leyen said would likely inform upcoming legislation, with a draft law expected this fall.
Many European countries including France, Italy, Greece and Spain are already working on individual social media bans for children, but von der Leyen said that it was clear action was also needed at the European level. Australia, which was the first country to introduce a social media ban for kids six months ago, is currently serving as the testbed for legislation. It's experiencing teething problems, with many children finding ways to bypass age checks and resulting in the government increasing penalties for platforms that fail to keep young people from using their services.
In the EU, a Europe-wide age verification app is due to be available soon that will help the bloc navigate age-gating platforms it doesn't want children to have access to. In April, von der Leyen said the app was technically ready and would be available soon, but the real test of its efficacy will only come when it's deployed.
"This will not be foolproof," said von der Leyen. "Great change never happens overnight, but when it comes to our safety, it is always worth it. And when it comes to social media, the research shows that timing matters."
Europe's approach -- is it unique?
The EU is far from the first to consider legislating on the issue, but unlike the UK, it's not simply copying what Australia has done, said Megan Jenkins, an analyst at Assembly Research.
"What the panel is suggesting isn't a blanket ban, as children under 13 would still be able to access social media, but they would need parental consent to do so," she said. "It looks more similar to restrictions in countries such as Brazil and Portugal, which require accounts held by under-16s to be linked to a parent's account, while also tackling addictive design features such as infinite scroll, autoplay and urgent push notifications."
The EU has never been afraid to face down Big Tech, and already has strong legislation (the Digital Safety Act) that requires tech companies to make their platforms safe by design. Earlier this year, the European Commission demanded TikTok change its "addictive by design" algorithm or face a hefty fine.
Ursula von der Leyen wants to take EU-level action on children's social media use.
Thierry Monasse/Getty ImagesThis existing framework could make Europe's approach unique, as platforms would face a "burden of proof" to demonstrate that they are safe to use before they could be accessed by children and adolescents, said Jenkins. "This would put more responsibility on Big Tech than blanket bans, which typically don't end up forcing these companies to actually make their platforms safer."
Amnesty International, which has previously criticized outright bans on social media for teens, said in a statement the EU's proposals were a "positive step for digital safety of children or young people."
EU rules governing children's social media use may also extend beyond traditional social media platforms, said von der Leyen on Monday. "The evidence shows that this is mainly social media platforms, but also other providers with age-inappropriate and addictive features," she said. "So think of it as social media plus. And when we have this clearly defined category, I believe we need to consider phased and gradual access for different age ranges."
That said, it's important to remember that for now, no actual draft legislation has been published, added Jenkins. "Von der Leyen is expected to propose measures in September but these could differ from what the panel has recommended," she said.
