European President Ursula von der Leyen has pledged to ban 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 is about when to start social media,” he said in a statement. “This is not about whether children can access social media,” he said. “It’s about when social media can reach our kids.”
Von der Leyen’s pledge follows the publication on Monday of a report she commissioned from the Special Panel on Children’s Online Safety. The report recommended “gradual access” to social media based on age, which von der Leyen said could inform future legislation, with draft legislation expected this fall.
Many European countries including France, Italy, Greece and Spain are already working on banning children from social media, but von der Leyen said it is clear that something must be done at the European level as well. Australia, which was the first country to introduce a ban on children on social media six months ago, is currently serving as a testing ground for the rules. Faced with growing problems, many children find ways to bypass the age test and this leads the government to increase fines on platforms that fail to prevent young people from using their services.
In the EU, a European age verification app will soon be available that will help the bloc navigate social networks it doesn’t want children to have access to. In April, von der Leyen said that the app is technically ready and will be available soon, but the real test of its effectiveness will come only when it is put into use.
“This will not be stupid,” von der Leyen said. “Great change never happens overnight, but when it comes to our safety, it’s always worth it. And when it comes to social media, research shows that time is of the essence.”
The European way — is it different?
The EU is far from the first to consider legislating on the issue, but unlike the UK, it is not simply copying what Australia is doing, says Megan Jenkins, an analyst at Assembly Research.
“What the team is saying is not a full ban, as children under the age of 13 will still be able to access social media, but they will need their parents’ permission to do so,” he said. “It looks very similar to the restrictions of countries like Brazil and Portugal, which require accounts managed by under-16s to be linked to a parent’s account, while addressing addictive design features such as endless scrolling, autoplay and emergency notifications.”
The EU has never been afraid to take on Big Tech, and already has strong legislation (the Digital Security Act) that requires tech companies to make their platforms secure by design. Earlier this year, the European Commission demanded that TikTok change its “additive by design” algorithm or face huge fines.
Ursula von der Leyen wants to take measures at EU level against the use of children on social media.
The current framework could make the European approach different, as platforms will face a “burden of proof” to show they are safe to use before they are accessed by children and young people, Jenkins said. “This will put more of a burden on Big Tech than a blanket ban, which often doesn’t end up forcing these companies to make their platforms more secure.”
Amnesty International, which has previously criticized direct bans on youth communications, said in a statement that the EU’s proposals are “a positive step for the digital safety of children or young people.”
EU rules governing children’s use of social media may extend beyond traditional social media, von der Leyen said on Monday. “Evidence shows that this is mainly social media, but also other providers with inappropriate and addictive features,” he said. “So think of it as social media once. And if we have this category clearly defined, I believe we need to consider the reach of the categories and the slow movement of the age categories.”
That said, it’s important to remember that at this point, no actual draft legislation has been published, Jenkins added. “Von der Leyen is expected to propose measures in September but these may differ from those recommended by the panel,” he said.