EU proposes social media ban for under-13s as Sánchez says Europe is standing up to ‘techno-oligarchs’

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the proposed restrictions during her annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday.

Under the plans, children below the age of 13 would not be allowed to use social media, while those aged 13 and 14 could only have restricted ‘mini accounts’ established and supervised by a parent or guardian.

Those accounts would have limited functions and could be used for a maximum of one hour a day. From the age of 15 until adulthood, platforms would be required to provide users with a specifically safer form of their services.

‘Each age has its own sensitivities. And therefore, each will have its own tailored protection level,’ von der Leyen told MEPs.

‘No social media under the age of 13. No personal account under the age of 15,’ she said. ‘That means from 13 to under 15, only mini accounts, set up and supervised by parents or guardians, with limited features and time restriction to one hour a day.’

The measures form part of a proposed EU Kids Act, with further details due to be formally presented by von der Leyen and EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen on Thursday.

The proposals are also expected to target addictive design techniques used by online platforms, including infinite scrolling for young users. Platforms that fail to comply could ultimately face substantial financial penalties. ALSO READ: Telegram founder slams Sánchez over ‘dangerous’ plans that ‘threaten internet freedom’ for under-16s.

‘Europe has the power to act. It is we who decide our rules, not big tech,’ von der Leyen said. ‘We do not have to accept addictive features. We do not have to accept children being drawn into ever more extreme content. We do not have to accept that girls have their photos used for AI-generated sexualised images.’ ALSO READ: Spanish government approves draft law to crack down on AI deepfakes and image misuse. 

She added that platforms would have to demonstrate that their services were safe, arguing that the question was not simply whether children should have access to social media, but ‘when and how do we allow social media to access minors’. ALSO READ: Spain asks prosecutors to investigate X, Meta & TikTok over AI-created child pornography. 

Sánchez welcomes EU move

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez welcomed the announcement, portraying it as vindication of efforts by Spain and France to push the issue higher up the European agenda. ALSO READ: Musk calls Sánchez a ‘fascist totalitarian’ and ‘tyrant and traitor to the people of Spain’ in new clash. 

Writing on X, Sánchez said: ‘A year ago, the governments of France and Spain proposed establishing a minimum age to access social networks. Many looked at us with disbelief. Others opposed us. But there were governments that supported us and joined our cause.’

‘Today, the European Commission has put on the table a community regulation with access limits and security by design,’ he wrote. ‘The message we send to the techno-oligarchs is clear: childhood is not destroyed with algorithms or economic interests. Childhood is protected with our democracies.’ ALSO READ: Spain to launch system tracking hate speech and polarisation on social media.

Spain is already pursuing its own legislation on children’s access to social media. A bill currently going through parliament seeks to raise the minimum age for registering on social networks in Spain to 16. ALSO READ: Spain will seek to prohibit children aged under 16 from accessing social media.

Sánchez reiterated his support for that restriction in the Spanish Congress last week, linking excessive use of digital devices and social media to concerns about young people’s cognitive development and declining reading comprehension. ALSO READ: Spain’s PISA scores fall to record lows as reading, maths and science decline.

Earlier this year, he also announced that digital platforms would be required to introduce effective age-verification systems as part of Spain’s proposed measures to protect minors online. ALSO READ: Spotlight: social media bans – imperfect steps in the right direction.

Growing international action

The EU initiative comes amid increasing international pressure on governments and technology companies over evidence of the effects that excessive social media and screen use can have on children’s mental and physical wellbeing.

Australia became the first country to introduce a nationwide social media ban for under-16s, while a number of other countries have subsequently considered or introduced their own restrictions.

Within the EU, countries including Spain, France, Denmark, Greece and Portugal have been among those pressing for stronger safeguards, but the Commission’s initiative would establish a common framework across all 27 member states.

Social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok already set 13 as the minimum age for opening accounts, but regulators have repeatedly questioned how effectively those restrictions are enforced.

The EU has previously used its Digital Services Act to demand changes to potentially addictive features on major platforms, but Brussels is now proposing more specific rules governing children’s access.

Von der Leyen highlighted the human consequences of online harm during Wednesday’s speech, referring to Olea, a 14-year-old girl in Belgium who recently took her own life after being bullied.

She quoted the girl’s mother as saying: ‘I am convinced that without these omnipresent networks, my daughter would still be here.’

Privacy concerns and criticism

The plans are nevertheless likely to generate debate over how age restrictions can be enforced without compromising users’ privacy.

The EU has been developing an age-verification system, but consumer and digital-rights organisations have warned that checking users’ ages is not in itself a solution to the wider problems associated with social media.

Digital-rights campaigners argue that restricting the age at which children can access social media does not address the underlying business model of platforms designed to maximise engagement and advertising revenue.

The proposals could also open another front in the long-running dispute between Brussels and major US technology companies over European regulation of digital platforms.

The measures will not take effect immediately. Once formally proposed, they will have to be negotiated between EU member states and the European Parliament before becoming law, a process that could take months or potentially longer.

But von der Leyen made clear that the Commission intends to push ahead despite the likely opposition from some of the world’s largest technology companies.

‘I am aware that many perceive the power of Big Tech as overwhelming and impossible to roll back,’ she said. ‘I disagree.’