European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced plans to introduce common age limits across the European Union to protect children from the online harms of social media.
Addressing the European Parliament on Wednesday, von der Leyen said the European Commission would present its proposal for a new regulation, the “Children’s Act,” on Thursday. The proposal envisions different levels of protection based on children’s ages.
Von der Leyen said they planned to prohibit children under 13 from using social media and prevent children under 15 from opening personal accounts.
Children aged 13 to 15 would only be allowed to use limited mini accounts created and supervised by their parents or guardians. Some features would be restricted on these accounts, and daily use would be limited to one hour.
For those aged 15 to 18, social media platforms would be required to implement safe-design measures. Von der Leyen said the regulation was being prepared amid concerns about problems such as sleep loss, anxiety, bullying and self-harm among children.
Von der Leyen said they wanted to place greater responsibility on technology platforms, adding that platforms should have to prove they are safe. She said the regulation would cover not only children’s access to social media but also the conditions under which platforms can reach children.
The European Commission president said addictive digital design could affect adults as well. She also announced that the Commission plans to present a more comprehensive “Digital Fairness Act” proposal in the autumn.