EU Considers Higher Social Media Age Limits

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has renewed calls to raise the minimum age for social media access in the European Union, arguing that childhood and early adolescence require stronger protection. She stressed that young users need more time to develop resilience before being exposed to the pressures and risks of online platforms.

According to von der Leyen, the EU can draw lessons from Australia, which has already increased the minimum age for social media use to 16. She presented this move as an example of proactive regulation aimed at safeguarding minors without removing digital opportunities altogether.

The Commission president underlined that a higher age limit would not reduce the responsibilities of technology companies. On the contrary, platforms remain legally required under the Digital Services Act to ensure safety by design, including effective risk mitigation and child protection measures.

Effective age limits, she noted, depend on reliable age verification tools. Referring to the recently released EU age‑verification app, von der Leyen acknowledged public criticism over alleged security weaknesses but maintained that the tool meets all regulatory and technical requirements set by the Commission.