EU Must Regulate Big Tech to Protect Children Says Kallas

Speaking at POLITICO’s European Pulse Forum in Barcelona, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas argued that banning children from social media would not address the underlying harms linked to digital platforms. According to Kallas, age-based prohibitions are easy to bypass and risk creating a false sense of protection rather than meaningful safeguards for minors online.

Kallas emphasized that responsibility should not be shifted onto children through self-regulation expectations. Instead, she stressed that governments and technology companies must bear the primary responsibility for preventing harm arising from platform design, data practices, and engagement models that disproportionately affect young users.

Addressing the broader regulatory landscape, Kallas rejected the notion that Europe lacks power over large technology firms. She described the EU’s perceived weakness toward major American and global platforms as a choice rather than a reality, calling on EU institutions to use their regulatory authority more decisively.

She pointed to Australia’s recent social media ban for children under 15 as a cautionary example. Early assessments have revealed significant shortcomings in platform enforcement, reinforcing the argument that effective protection of minors requires robust regulation, supervision, and accountability rather than blanket bans.