European Commission proposes EU-wide minimum age of 13 for social‑media access

The European Commission, following a Special Panel on Child Safety Online chaired by Joerg Fegert and Maria Melchior, recommended a harmonised rule that children under 13 should only have time‑limited, supervised access to age‑appropriate social‑media platforms. Access would be phased in gradually for older teens, with platforms required to prove safety‑by‑design before allowing younger users.

Ursula von der Leyen backed the proposal, noting that European youths spend four to six hours daily on screens and that almost 60 % experience emotional or psychosocial problems online. The Commission plans to present a legislative package after the summer, including age‑verification tools that protect privacy while ensuring compliance across all EU member states.

The initiative aims to shift responsibility for child safety from parents to platforms, enforce consistent standards across the Union, and curb addictive features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay and personalised recommendations.