EU proposes law curbing social media for children Thursday

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The European Union will on Thursday propose a new law to shield children from social media harms, a day after EU chief Ursula von der Leyen is due to reveal an age limit for minors to access such platforms.

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After more than a year of talks and pressure from member states including France and Greece, as well as parents across the 27-country EU, von der Leyen will address the issue in a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

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The “EU Kids Act” will be presented on Thursday by von der Leyen and EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen in Brussels, spokesman Olof Gill told reporters.

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Von der Leyen is expected to say that social media and platforms used by children should be “safe by design,” meaning that they are not addictive and have features removed that encourage excessive use.

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She has also been weighing up barring social media access entirely for children under 13 — which an expert panel has recommended — or under 15, which France wants.

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Australia became the first country in the world to ban social media for under-16s as governments and experts became increasingly concerned by the negative impact on children’s mental and physical health, proven by multiple studies.

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In June 2026, the United Arab Emirates announced a social media ban for children under 15, joining a growing group of countries including Australia, Britain and Canada to take similar measures.

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Social media platforms will have to monitor and disable accounts created by under-15s or risk being blocked, a cabinet resolution said, giving them a 12-month transition period.

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“The resolution sets the minimum age for social media use at 15 years,” the official WAM news agency said, citing the cabinet resolution.

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“Children below this age are prohibited from creating, using, or operating personal accounts on social media platforms.”

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AFP

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