European Commission delays 'national single acts' banning social media for children

The European Commission announced on Thursday that it does not wish to approve additional standalone national laws banning the use of social media by children before adopting a unified EU-wide regulation, announcing the postponement of an Austrian draft law on the matter for 12 months.

European Commission spokesperson Thomas Renner stated that the Commission “has decided to postpone any national legislative proposals that overlap with future unified rules for 12 months,” referring to the bloc’s efforts to harmonize regulations concerning children’s use of social media platforms.

Renner clarified that the priority in the coming phase is to focus on negotiations regarding the EU law on protecting children online and to ensure effective implementation of existing rules.

Last month, the European Commission proposed banning children under the age of 13 from using social media, while allowing limited and supervised access for those under 15.

Under EU rules, when any member state wishes to enact legislation affecting digital services and the internet, it must first notify the European Commission. If the Commission determines that the individual law may conflict with the EU’s overall plans, it can compel the country to wait and freeze the legislation, giving Brussels time to introduce unified legislation covering all 27 member states.