Access the report here.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday that the Commission will draft legislation after the summer to restrict children’s access to social media across all 27 member states. This follows an expert report recommending a minimum access age of 13 across the EU.
The announcement comes after the Special Panel on Child Safety Online, co-chaired by Prof. Dr. Jörg M. Fegert and Dr. Maria Melchior, submitted its report. Commissioned by von der Leyen in March 2026, the initiative is described as the EU’s most significant effort to protect children from online risks. Von der Leyen stated that the focus is now on how to ensure children have a safer online experience, rather than questioning whether those risks exist.
What does the report recommend? The panel’s main recommendation is a harmonized EU-wide restriction that prohibits children under 13 from accessing social media and other “digital services.” The report defines “social media+” to include AI companions, app stores, and video-sharing and gaming platforms with addictive or age-inappropriate features. Children under 13 could access these services only with parental authorization or in educational settings. Member states may set stricter national age limits above 13.
The proposal stops short of a blanket ban. Instead, it lays out a tiered system tied to developmental stages:
- 0–2 years: No screens or social media, with limits on how much of a child’s data caregivers can post (“sharenting”).
- 3–5 and 6–9 years: Strictly supervised use only, with parental consent required.
- 10–12 years: Supervised use with parental control systems and time limits.
- 13–15 years: “Evolving autonomy” with reduced parental control as peer influence grows.
- 16–18 years: Relative autonomy, moving toward full digital majority at 18.
Why did the panel pick age 13? The report relies on developmental science to justify the threshold, stating that children’s cognitive, emotional, and social capacities mature in distinct stages. It argues that a uniform approach to online safety is outdated. The report cites research indicating that receiving a first smartphone at age 12, rather than 13, is associated with a higher risk of depression and other mental health issues within a year. In contrast, acquiring a smartphone at 13 was not linked to depression at 14. The co-chairs use this evidence to support treating age 13 as a meaningful cutoff.
The panel emphasizes that primary responsibility should rest with platforms, not families. It recommends shifting the burden of proof to providers, requiring social media and other digital services to be restricted for children under 13 until companies can demonstrate their products are safe by design.
Scale of the problem: The report highlights that screen exposure begins early and increases rapidly: children under age 2 average 49 minutes of screen time daily,…
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