The European Union is gaining momentum regulating access to social networks by teenagers
| The proposal was originally made by Greece and already has the support of digital leaders France and Spain. It is envisaged to introduce new rules for the massive restriction of the use of social media among adolescents because of the increasing concern in Europe for the fact that children spend too much time online. |
The problem is the focus of worldwide attention, especially since Australia imposed an age limit of 16 years to create social accounts on certain networks, which comes into force later this year.
Australia has adopted a law ban on social networks for children under 16
Protecting our children online will be a key priority over the upcoming EU Presidency.
Caroline Stage Olsen. Denmark Digital Affairs Minister
The proposal was sent to other countries on Thursday to request their support before the EU Council meeting, said a European diplomat familiar with the process.
This is a sign that the European capitals are not satisfied with the speed at which lawmakers in Brussels take action and join forces to protect children from over -screen.
Protecting online harms and risks « requires collective actions at European level, » the proposal said.
The French President first legitimizes the concept of « digital maturity »
The phones and the assessment of « discipline » are the problems of education
The European Commission is already working on some measures affecting existing regulations, such as the Digital Services Act, which defines the rules of online platforms.
- The new proposal envisages the EU to go much further by defining Mandatory minimum age and parental control over mobile devicesas well as « European norms » for minimizing the so -called. convincing architectures. These include features such as automatic content launch, personalization and pop-up windows that are designed to increase the attractiveness of applications and keep users online for a longer time.
- The document suggests that the verification age can be done through the devices, a measure that the Apple and Google companies will oppose.
| Platforms, including Meta, lobby for devices or features applied directly from platforms. Applicants of applications and operating systems, for their part, believe the solutions should be at the level of mobile device. The difference in evaluations means that it will take years to make significant decisions from the industry, according to supporters of the new draft regulation. |
None of the social media « Tictoc », « Meta », X and « Google » have commented on the proposal following a request from Politico.
France has already adopted measures to block access to social media for children under 15 in 2023. They are yet to be implemented.
