EU chief weighs age restrictions for children using social media | Technology News

3 min readNew DelhiJul 13, 2026 04:46 PM A top European Union official on Monday called for limits to be placed on children using social media as a special EU panel looking into the challenge recommended forbidding access for those under 13 until tech companies can prove their platforms are safe.
Growing awareness of the dangers social media poses for young, developing brains has shown up in a wave of new restrictions globally. Australia, the U.K., Turkey, Indonesia and others have passed bans on kids under 16 or 15 from using platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
Laying out a l of her concerns about the use of social media kids, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen — a doctor training — said that children under 3 should have no exposure to screens at all.
“I believe we need to consider phased and gradual access for different age ranges because childhood won’t wait and once it’s gone, we can never give it back,” von der Leyen told reporters.
“Just as we don’t give our children keys to the car before they have their license, or we do not let them buy alcohol until they are legally allowed. We need to set the age at which they can, the children can, legally access social media,” she said.
Von der Leyen noted infinite scrolling as one of the “addictive” traits that tech companies must address.
Beyond toddlers, she did not mention any precise restrictions, but she and the European Commission — the EU’s powerful executive branch — are likely to come up with a proposal for the 27 member countries to weigh in the near future. Von der Leyen’s policy proposals carry great influence with EU member countries.Story continues below this ad
A special panel set up to study child safety online delivered its report to the EU chief on Monday.
The report said that when it comes to safety, “the burden of proof needs to be on providers, not regulators, parents and children.”
“Until they demonstrate that their services are safe design, social media and other digital services providers should have restricted access to children under the age of 13 in the EU,” said the report, which is likely to influence von der Leyen’s thinking.
It recommended that “further precautionary age restrictions” should be considered EU countries for children over 13.