The European Commission proposes to restrict social media access for young people under 15 years old

2026

The European Commission proposes to restrict social media access for young people under 15 years old

During her State of the Union speech on 16 September, the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von Der Leyen, announced plans to restrict social media access for under-15s across the member states. The legislative proposal, called the EU Kids Act, aims to ban minors under 13 from accessing social media and to allow one hour of access for those between 13 and 15 through "mini accounts" linked to their parents' social media accounts. For young people under 18, the platforms will be obliged to “follow the principle of safety by design, no toxic or addictive features, no traps, etc”.

"Too many children are being exposed too early to an online world they are not ready to navigate - an environment where bullying can follow you home, where every mistake can be recorded forever," said Von der Leyen, regarding the case of Oléa, a 14-year-old girl living in Belgium who took her life one month ago due to the suffering caused by online bullying. Cases like this one have sparked the debate about the possibility of a ban on access to social media by underage citizens across the world, with Australia banning under-16s from using major social media services including TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Threads.

This proposal, however, still has to be accepted by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, which represent all 27 member states. The case of France, where the Constitutional Council blocked a proposal for a similar law on the grounds that it could infringe upon freedom of expression, makes it difficult to predict if the EU Kids Act will be implemented soon.