EU to prohibit personal social-media accounts for children under 13
The European Union will ban personal social-media accounts for users younger than 13, with supervised mini-accounts allowed for 13-15-year-olds, according to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
In her State of the Union address, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a blanket prohibition on personal social-media accounts for children under 13 across the EU, to be implemented under the forthcoming EU KIDS ACT. Adolescents aged 13 to 15 will be permitted only limited, guardian-supervised mini-accounts, capped at one hour of daily use, while platforms must adopt safe-design features for users up to 18.
The EU will pursue additional restrictions on addictive design in the Digital Fairness Act slated for the autumn. Von der Leyen cited research linking social-media use to sleep loss, anxiety, self-harm and even child deaths. Legal expert Arnav Joshi noted that a uniform EU framework could simplify compliance, though he warned that deep-parental monitoring might raise privacy concerns.
Law partner Joanna Conway highlighted the difficulty of accurate age verification without infringing privacy or user experience. The initiative follows similar efforts in 17 member states, including France, where a recent court ruling struck down a broader under-15 ban on free-speech grounds.
How this was covered
- Left-leaning outlets covered this 2h later
- Coverage peaked at 6 outlets in a single hour
Why it matters
The rule will reshape how European children access social media, affecting billions of users and setting a precedent for global online-safety policy.
How the sides frame it
MODERATE AGREEMENTAll camps report the EU's draft ban on social-media accounts for under-13s and limited accounts for older teens, but left-leaning coverage stresses child-harm research, right-leaning coverage highlights opposition to big-tech power, while centrist coverage focuses on the legislative details.
LEFT
Frames the Kids Act as a necessary child-protection measure against documented harms such as sleep loss, anxiety, self-harm and addictive design.
CENTER
Frames the proposal as a policy initiative detailing age-based restrictions, supervised mini-accounts and compliance penalties.
RIGHT
Frames the move as a stand-against Big Tech, emphasizing European sovereignty and the need to curb tech-driven addiction.
The left emphasises
- research linking social-media use to sleep loss, anxiety, self-harm and child deaths
- protecting minors from addictive design and harmful screen time
The right emphasises
- "we decide our rules, not big tech"
- need to reject addictive features and extreme content on platforms
How this story developed
- Sep 3 EU to grant cities power to curb Airbnb rentals and second homes
- Sep 5 EU document outlining new housing package released; Budapest’s 13th District moves to draft its own short‑term rental regulations.
- Sep 7 Estonia is the only EU member pushing for platform design changes to safeguard minors, opposing the bloc’s planned social-media ban for children.
- Sep 9 The European Commission unveiled the housing regulation draft on Wednesday.
- Sep 13 Macron’s written request to von der Leyen for a Europe‑wide legal instrument has entered the debate.
- Sep 14 France plans to forward the amended draft to the European Commission on Monday.
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