European Union: No social media for those under 13 and no personal accounts for those under 15

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced yesterday that the European Union intends to ban the use of social media by children under the age of 13 as part of a phased plan to enhance child protection from the risks posed by digital platforms.

In her annual State of the Union address before the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, von der Leyen stated that the EU will adopt a “phased” approach to defining protection levels based on age groups. She clarified that the bloc intends to allow those aged 13 to 15 to use social media in a limited manner and under the supervision of parents or guardians within the framework of this phased protection plan.

She added, “Each age has its own sensitivities, and therefore each age will have a protection level designed specifically for it… No social media for those under 13… and no personal accounts for those under 15.”

Von der Leyen explained that this means “from age 13 to under 15, only mini-accounts created and supervised by parents or guardians will be permitted, with limited features and time restrictions not exceeding one hour per day.” She added that “safe-by-design will be mandatory for platforms for those aged 15 to 18.”

She warned against accepting what she described as the addictive features in platform design, stating, “Platforms will have to prove that they are safe.” She further noted, “This is not about minors’ access to social media, but about when and how social media is allowed to access minors.”

Von der Leyen pointed out that the “risks of addictive design” are not limited to children, saying, “Addictive design, for example, harms everyone.” She clarified that the EU needs additional rules in this area, which will be proposed next autumn.