EU leaders eye social media ban for children under age 13

The European Commission should impose a social media “start date” of age 13 for children, President Ursula von der Leyen says. 

Von der Leyen told the Financial Times on Monday that she is considering a “harmonised EU-wide delay to social media” for kids under age 13 who are not under the supervision of a caregiver.

“While ultimately it is up to parents to decide when children get their first smartphones, what we already have is a consensus that there needs to be a start date for the age children can join social media,” von der Leyen said separately in a statement issued Sunday. 

She envisions giving gradual access to children once they turn 13, “depending on the proof given by the platforms that they are age-appropriate and safe for teenagers,” the Financial Times reported.

The announcement comes amid growing outcry from member states, who want lawmakers to act quickly to tackle what they see as the major threat to children’s safety. Several EU countries already have imposed their own bans or are working with their legislatures to do so quickly, including France, Spain and Greece.

“The status quo, a world where we continue to allow big tech unrestricted access to our children, will only consign another generation to more mental harm, addiction and misery,” van der Leyen said.

European kids now spend an average of four to six hours a day watching a screen, she said.

“Six hours every day – this adds up to twenty years of their life,” she added.

Von der Leyen called on platform architects to prove their services cause no harm, observing that society expects car manufacturers to provide seatbelts and air bags. 

“It is clear we need age-appropriate restrictions to platforms,” she said. “Because childhood will not wait. And once it is gone, we cannot give it back.”

It is unclear if the age-13 threshold will mollify critics in member countries, where governments have been seeking bans for children age 15 and under. 

Most platforms already require that users be over age 12, though those restrictions, absent force of law, have been easily sidestepped.