The European Union (EU) has moved to set common standards that limit children and teens' access to social media (SNS). It is reviewing ways to restrict SNS access for children under 13 and to establish age-appropriate usage standards. In particular, the aim is to unify differing rules across member states at the EU level to strengthen child protection.
According to the Financial Times (FT) on the 13th (local time), EU Chairperson Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen is set to present a policy after the summer that includes measures to restrict children and teens' access to SNS.
The European Commission is reviewing measures to restrict SNS access for children under 13 while working to establish age-appropriate usage standards. The plan is to create common standards that apply across all EU member states, based on the judgment that effectiveness could suffer if differing regulations are implemented by country.
To that end, the European Commission is developing an "age verification" system that can confirm only a user's age while using the minimum amount of personal data. The core is to build a framework that allows users to verify their age without directly providing ID information such as a resident registration card or passport to the platform.
The EU also plans to strengthen platforms' responsibility for child protection. It has included in its review whether SNS operators have sufficiently prepared service designs and safety measures to reduce risks to minors.
This move also aligns with tighter enforcement of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA). The EU is recently investigating whether protection measures for minors were adequate at Meta's Facebook and Instagram and ByteDance Ltd.'s TikTok. The review follows concerns that service features that extend usage time, such as infinite scroll and autoplay, may negatively affect the mental health of children and teens.
FT reported that while some member states, including France, are separately pushing to restrict SNS use for children and teens under 15 to 16, the EU is placing more weight on setting common standards rather than country-by-country rules. Chairperson von der Leyen said, "Just as there is a legal age for driving and drinking, standards are needed in the online space to protect children and teens." If common regulations are established at the EU level, significant changes are expected in how global SNS platforms verify age and design their services (features).