The European Union (EU) is taking a major step to ensure children's safety in the digital environment. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen released a report prepared by a special expert panel on children's online safety. The report recommends introducing a harmonized social media age limit for children under 13 across the EU.
In a statement with the panel's co-chairs, von der Leyen said, "The two co-chairs propose a harmonized social media age limit for children under 13 across the EU. The proposed approach is a tiered model. According to this, the youngest children should not use screens at all."
Tiered age limit model
According to the model proposed by the expert panel, children from birth to age 3 should not encounter screens at all. Children aged 3 to 12 may only be online under the supervision of a parent, caregiver or teacher and for limited periods. Access to social media for young people aged 13-18 could be gradually increased, provided that platforms prove they are "safe by design."
Von der Leyen stated, "Only when this condition is met should young people over 13 be able to access social media."
"Social media is not a toy"
The European Commission President stressed that big tech companies offering children unlimited access condemns new generations to psychological harm, addiction and unhappiness. "Young people in Europe now spend 4 to 6 hours a day in front of screens. That equates to about 20 years of their lives," von der Leyen said, adding that around 60 percent of children encounter emotional or psychosocial problems online.
Von der Leyen said, "We cannot expect children to thrive in a system designed without considering their well-being. First, it is the platforms that built these systems, and now they must prove that their services do no harm. In Europe, whoever develops a product is also responsible for its safety."
Legislative proposal to come after summer
Highlighting the EU's "safe by design" principle, von der Leyen underlined platforms' obligations, especially towards children. "The issue is not whether children can access social media, but when and under what conditions social media can access children," von der Leyen said, adding that research reinforces the need to set a starting age.
Von der Leyen announced that they will carefully examine the report's recommendations and present a legislative proposal after the summer. "We will evaluate the different proposals from member states, integrate them into our work, and, as the EU often does, put forward a common and harmonized solution," she said.
Joint call from experts
Prof. Dr. Jörg M. Fegert, one of the expert panel's co-chairs, noted that as child and adolescent psychiatrists, the risks are not the same for every child, but they prepared their recommendations based on common principles. Fegert said, "Introducing a common age limit across the EU for children under 13 is one of our key recommendations."
The other co-chair, Dr. Maria Melchior, said, "Our findings are very clear: Children and young people must be safe on all social media platforms and other digital services they use." Melchior stressed that all children, regardless of their circumstances, have the right to grow up in a safe digital environment.
