EU plans common age limits for social media
The European Union plans to introduce common age limits for children's access to social media as part of new legislation aimed at protecting minors from online harms, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday.
Addressing the European Parliament, von der Leyen said the European Commission would present its proposed “Kids Act” on Thursday, with different levels of protection depending on age.
“No social media under the age of 13. No personal account under the age of 15,” she said.
Under the proposed framework, children aged 13 to under 15 would be limited to supervised “mini accounts” created with parental or guardian involvement. These accounts would have restricted features and a proposed one-hour daily time limit.
For teenagers aged 15 to 18, social media platforms would be required to introduce “safe design” measures intended to reduce exposure to harmful or addictive features.
Von der Leyen said the initiative was driven by concerns about the effects of social media and addictive digital design on children, including sleep loss, anxiety, bullying and self-harm.
She said the EU also wanted to place greater responsibility on technology companies, arguing that platforms should demonstrate that their services are safe for minors.
“Europe has the power to act. It is us who decide the rules, not the tech,” von der Leyen told lawmakers.
The Commission's plans would also address the wider impact of addictive digital design on adults. Von der Leyen said the EU intends to propose a broader “Digital Fairness Act” in the autumn.
The proposed age restrictions will now move into the EU legislative process, where their final details will be subject to negotiations and approval.
Source:AA
