EU plans age-gated social media access for minors, with full ban under 13 and graduated steps to 18

The proposal

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen received a report from a special expert group on child online safety in Brussels on Monday, 13 July 2026. The group, co-chaired by French epidemiologist Maria Melchior and German child psychiatry expert Jörg Fegert, recommends a harmonised EU-wide system of age-gated access to social media and other online platforms. Von der Leyen said the Commission would table legislative proposals after the summer.

Childhood is an extraordinary and delicate period for brain development. And during this phase, children need to spend time in the real world, to play, make friends, make mistakes, build their personality, before an algorithm does it for them.

The core recommendation is a full ban on social media access for children under 13. For ages 13 to 18, access would be permitted but under a graduated framework emphasising education on addictive design features such as infinite scrolling and autoplay. The group also advises zero screen time for children aged 0 to 2, and parent- or teacher-supervised access to age-appropriate content for ages 3 to 12.

The data behind the push

Von der Leyen cited a Eurobarometer survey showing young people in the EU spend an average of 4.5 hours online on school days and more than 6 hours on weekends. She also noted that a quarter of young Europeans encounter problematic content online, including hate speech, body-image pressure, and unexpected violence. Across Europe, nearly 60 percent of children have already exhibited psychosocial problems linked to online life, according to the Portuguese public broadcaster RTP.

When a quarter of our young people are confronted with problematic content online (hate speech, body-image pressure, unexpected violence), it is a clear signal that it is time to act.

How the age tiers would work

The expert group's recommendations are structured by age bracket. For children aged 0 to 2, no screen time is recommended. From ages 3 to 12, any digital access should be under parental or teacher supervision, with content adapted to the child's developmental stage. Parents are encouraged to prioritise real-world activities. For teenagers aged 13 to 18, the focus shifts to teaching responsible use, including awareness of the addictive mechanisms platforms deploy.

What is prohibited in the real world must also be prosecuted in the digital world.

Von der Leyen stressed that the question is not whether children can access social media, but whether and when social media can access children. She compared the behavioural shift needed to the introduction of seatbelt laws, acknowledging the change would not be immediate or foolproof.

A patchwork of national rules

Several EU member states are already moving ahead with their own restrictions. France, Spain, Greece, Denmark, Austria, and Sweden are either implementing or planning national bans or age limits for minors on social platforms. Estonia opposes outright bans, and other countries have yet to take a position. An EU-wide harmonised law would replace this emerging patchwork and, according to officials cited by Agence France-Presse, would be easier to enforce against the platforms, whose regulation is already largely handled at the EU level in coordination with the 27 member states.

Outside the EU, Australia banned social media for under-16s on 10 December 2025. Indonesia and Malaysia have also pushed for age restrictions.

What comes next

The expert group began its work in March 2026 and delivered its report on 13 July. Von der Leyen promised to make a decision before autumn, with a Commission spokesperson saying it is "possible and necessary to do more." The Commission also intends to examine age restrictions for other online services and to identify which platforms are harmful to minors. The proposals will be "very comprehensive," according to another EU official cited in the French press.

Childhood does not wait, and once it is gone, you can never get it back.