The European Commission is expected to announce a ban tomorrow on social media for children up to the age of fifteen, unless their parents explicitly consent to it.
According to news site Politico, the draft EU KIDS Act will be presented this Thursday. After that, the European Parliament and the individual member states must formulate their positions on it.
The proposal aims to create a tiered system for access to social media under parental supervision up to the age of 15.
The proposal also requires verification technology for social media in order to verify users’ ages. Such a system is already being developed at European level, but with a view to blocking sex sites for minors. Extending it to social media would then be a small step.
Europe is softer in its approach to social media for children than, for example, England. There, every social network is off-limits to children up to the age of 16.
Australia has had an absolute ban on social media for children up to 16 for some time already, but this has at most a partial effect according to experts.
Terre des Hommes Netherlands is already warning against a general ban on social media and is calling on the European Commission to place responsibility where it belongs: with the technology companies that design unsafe and addictive platforms. A blanket age ban keeps children out, while the harmful nature of the platforms remains largely intact.
“Europe is facing an important choice,” says Katharina van Liebergen, press officer at Terre des Hommes Netherlands. “Do we opt for a quick measure that mainly makes children and parents responsible? Or do we finally force technology companies to develop products that are safe for children? An age ban sounds decisive, but it does not address the core of the problem.”
Australia introduced a ban at the end of 2025 on social media use by young people under the age of 16. Countries such as France and Spain are also advocating stricter age limits. Terre des Hommes warns that Europe should not simply follow this example.
A general ban can clash with children’s right to information, communication, participation and freedom of expression. The recent French legal debate on a national age limit shows that such measures are also legally vulnerable. Still, France introduced its ban earlier this month.
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