New European law to protect children from the harms of social media

EU spokesperson Olaf Gill said yesterday that the European Union will propose a new law aimed at protecting children from the harms caused by social media, following the announcement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of her intention to reveal an age limit for minors’ access to these platforms. Gill, speaking to journalists at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, added that President von der Leyen and EU Commissioner for Technology Henna Virkkunen will present the “Children of the EU” bill next Thursday during a plenary session of the European Parliament on the impact of social media on children. Von der Leyen is expected to affirm that social media and platforms used by children should be “safe by design,” meaning they should not be designed in a way that encourages addiction and should remove features that promote excessive use. The European Commission is currently considering the possibility of completely banning children under the age of 13 from accessing social media, as recommended by an expert panel, or raising the age limit to 15.