{"id":2044474,"date":"2026-07-13T20:30:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T17:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2044474"},"modified":"2026-07-13T20:30:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T17:30:02","slug":"the-eu-just-took-a-major-step-towards-a-social-media-plus-ban-for-minors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2044474","title":{"rendered":"The EU Just Took a Major Step Towards a \u2018Social Media Plus\u2019 Ban for Minors"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285277287-1200×675.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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The European Union is months away from a final bill for a social media ban that is looking likely to be one of the strictest introduced thus far worldwide.<\/p>\n

On Monday, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen announced that an expert report was completed and that the governing body would now consider the findings in drafting a proposal, which she said would be revealed after the summer.<\/p>\n

The report\u2019s recommendations are striking and involve phased access to social media that would ban access to children under 13.<\/p>\n

\u201cA harmonised EU-wide access restriction to social media and other digital services, including AI companions, for children under 13 is necessary,\u201d the report claims.<\/p>\n

The experts suggest that children under 3 years of age should not be exposed to any screens, and that from 3 to 13, time-limited access to age-appropriate social media should only be with parental consent or for educational purposes.<\/p>\n

Ban will likely go beyond social media<\/h2>\n

In a press briefing on Monday, Von der Leyen described the approach as \u201csocial media plus,\u201d meaning that any proposed action is likely to go beyond just social media platforms, to enact age-specific bans across other corners of the internet as well. The EU doesn\u2019t yet have a clear definition of which platforms would fall under the social media plus umbrella, but Von der Leyen said it would include platforms with age-inappropriate content and addictive features.<\/p>\n

The President also said that it would be up to the platforms to prove to the EU \u201cthat their services do no harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not about whether children can access social media. It is about whether and when social media can access our children,\u201d Von der Leyen said in a statement accompanying the report.<\/p>\n

From 13 until 18, the report says that teens can slowly begin using social media more autonomously, through \u201cpotential national precautionary restrictions\u201d that could ensure age-appropriate content.<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil providers have demonstrated safe and age-appropriate features, therefore complying with EU and national measures, they should not have access to minors,\u201d the report recommends. \u201cWhere there is a \u2018safe by default\u2019 version, age-inappropriate features (features for adults) should only be activated following effective age assurances.\u201d<\/p>\n

The biggest ban yet, but not the first<\/h2>\n

EU authorities have been working on a ban for a long time now, and efforts have picked up since December, when Australia became the first country to enact a social media ban for teens.<\/p>\n

Back in April, Von der Leyen unveiled plans for an online\u00a0age-verification app, designed to be used across Europe and potentially become the blueprint for digital age-verification methods abroad<\/span>. On Monday, the Commissioner said the app would be one of the tools used in enacting the ban.<\/p>\n

Australia\u2019s ban was pioneer, but it is also controversial. The ban covers a handful of platforms and puts the burden of compliance on the platform operators by imposing maximum penalties of up to $34 million. That number is set to be more than doubled, according to new legislation introduced in Australian parliament last month following numerous reports that the ban was falling short of reaching goals as teens easily circumvented the age verification methods.<\/p>\n

Since then, some governments seeking to enact similar bans have tried to take a stricter stance than Australia. The United Kingdom, which announced last month that it would enact a ban on users under 16 starting next year, is going beyond the Australian measures to restrict live-streaming and chatting features on other platforms like online gaming sites, ban minors from AI romantic companion chatbots, and is considering digital overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling.<\/p>\n

Increased scrutiny on platforms<\/h2>\n

Social media platforms are receiving increasing legal and regulatory scrutiny worldwide for what are often called addictive design features, such as infinite scrolling or autoplay, which get young, vulnerable users addicted from an early age and have been shown to exacerbate damning mental health outcomes like depression and anxiety.<\/p>\n

The scrutiny is significant enough that Instagram-owner Meta could face up to $1.4 trillion in damages in a social media addiction case in the United States, where backlash is mostly played out in courts, and the company is facing more than three thousand similar cases. The tech giant\u2019s allegedly addictive design tactics also faced significant focused backlash in the European Union last week, when EU regulators requested Meta to disable features like infinite scroll by default, introduce effective screen-time breaks, and make its recommendation system less focused on driving engagement.<\/p>\n

Not everyone is on board with bans<\/h2>\n

The regulatory challenges to the way these platforms conduct business have drawn ire from critics, some who claim that the measures are not effective enough while others claim that the age verification requirement is too invasive.<\/p>\n

Von der Leyen acknowledged some of those challenges on Monday, saying that the measures won\u2019t be \u201cfoolproof\u201d and it will take some time before change is measurable, but emphasized the importance of social media bans nonetheless.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile 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,\u201d Von der Leyen said. \u201cWe do not expect parents to fit airbags at home. And the very same must be true for big tech.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once the Commission returns with a proposal later this year, it will need approval from the European parliament and member countries before becoming law. But if it does pass all the regulatory hurdles, then the ban would be enacted in all 27 member countries of the bloc, rewriting the tech rulebook in one of the world\u2019s largest economies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

\n

The European Union is months away from a final bill for a social media ban that is looking likely to be one of the strictest introduced thus far worldwide.<\/p>\n

On Monday, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen announced that an expert report was completed and that the governing body would now consider the findings in drafting a proposal, which she said would be revealed after the summer.<\/p>\n

The report\u2019s recommendations are striking and involve phased access to social media that would ban access to children under 13.<\/p>\n

\u201cA harmonised EU-wide access restriction to social media and other digital services, including AI companions, for children under 13 is necessary,\u201d the report claims.<\/p>\n

The experts suggest that children under 3 years of age should not be exposed to any screens, and that from 3 to 13, time-limited access to age-appropriate social media should only be with parental consent or for educational purposes.<\/p>\n

Ban will likely go beyond social media<\/h2>\n

In a press briefing on Monday, Von der Leyen described the approach as \u201csocial media plus,\u201d meaning that any proposed action is likely to go beyond just social media platforms, to enact age-specific bans across other corners of the internet as well. The EU doesn\u2019t yet have a clear definition of which platforms would fall under the social media plus umbrella, but Von der Leyen said it would include platforms with age-inappropriate content and addictive features.<\/p>\n

The President also said that it would be up to the platforms to prove to the EU \u201cthat their services do no harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not about whether children can access social media. It is about whether and when social media can access our children,\u201d Von der Leyen said in a statement accompanying the report.<\/p>\n

From 13 until 18, the report says that teens can slowly begin using social media more autonomously, through \u201cpotential national precautionary restrictions\u201d that could ensure age-appropriate content.<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil providers have demonstrated safe and age-appropriate features, therefore complying with EU and national measures, they should not have access to minors,\u201d the report recommends. \u201cWhere there is a \u2018safe by default\u2019 version, age-inappropriate features (features for adults) should only be activated following effective age assurances.\u201d<\/p>\n

The biggest ban yet, but not the first<\/h2>\n

EU authorities have been working on a ban for a long time now, and efforts have picked up since December, when Australia became the first country to enact a social media ban for teens.<\/p>\n

Back in April, Von der Leyen unveiled plans for an online\u00a0age-verification app, designed to be used across Europe and potentially become the blueprint for digital age-verification methods abroad<\/span>. On Monday, the Commissioner said the app would be one of the tools used in enacting the ban.<\/p>\n

Australia\u2019s ban was pioneer, but it is also controversial. The ban covers a handful of platforms and puts the burden of compliance on the platform operators by imposing maximum penalties of up to $34 million. That number is set to be more than doubled, according to new legislation introduced in Australian parliament last month following numerous reports that the ban was falling short of reaching goals as teens easily circumvented the age verification methods.<\/p>\n

Since then, some governments seeking to enact similar bans have tried to take a stricter stance than Australia. The United Kingdom, which announced last month that it would enact a ban on users under 16 starting next year, is going beyond the Australian measures to restrict live-streaming and chatting features on other platforms like online gaming sites, ban minors from AI romantic companion chatbots, and is considering digital overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling.<\/p>\n

Increased scrutiny on platforms<\/h2>\n

Social media platforms are receiving increasing legal and regulatory scrutiny worldwide for what are often called addictive design features, such as infinite scrolling or autoplay, which get young, vulnerable users addicted from an early age and have been shown to exacerbate damning mental health outcomes like depression and anxiety.<\/p>\n

The scrutiny is significant enough that Instagram-owner Meta could face up to $1.4 trillion in damages in a social media addiction case in the United States, where backlash is mostly played out in courts, and the company is facing more than three thousand similar cases. The tech giant\u2019s allegedly addictive design tactics also faced significant focused backlash in the European Union last week, when EU regulators requested Meta to disable features like infinite scroll by default, introduce effective screen-time breaks, and make its recommendation system less focused on driving engagement.<\/p>\n

Not everyone is on board with bans<\/h2>\n

The regulatory challenges to the way these platforms conduct business have drawn ire from critics, some who claim that the measures are not effective enough while others claim that the age verification requirement is too invasive.<\/p>\n

Von der Leyen acknowledged some of those challenges on Monday, saying that the measures won\u2019t be \u201cfoolproof\u201d and it will take some time before change is measurable, but emphasized the importance of social media bans nonetheless.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile 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,\u201d Von der Leyen said. \u201cWe do not expect parents to fit airbags at home. And the very same must be true for big tech.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once the Commission returns with a proposal later this year, it will need approval from the European parliament and member countries before becoming law. But if it does pass all the regulatory hurdles, then the ban would be enacted in all 27 member countries of the bloc, rewriting the tech rulebook in one of the world\u2019s largest economies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285277287-1200×675.jpg”] The European Union is months away from a final bill for a social media ban that is looking likely to be one of the strictest introduced thus far worldwide. On Monday, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen announced that an expert report was completed and that the governing body would now […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,53],"class_list":["post-2044474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-gizmodo-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2044474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2044474"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2044474\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2044474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2044474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2044474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}