The European Parliament has voted in favour of banning social media for children under the age of 16, unless their parents allow them to use it.
Lawmakers say the move is needed to protect young people from the mental health risks of widespread and unsupervised internet use.
In a major vote in Brussels, 483 Members of the European Parliament supported the proposal, while 92 voted against it.
The vote itself does not change the law yet, but it increases pressure on the European Commission to introduce new rules across Europe.
Age checks for social media use
If the proposal becomes law, people may have to show ID to log into their online accounts, which could make anonymous profiles impossible.
Parliament’s aim is to set an “EU-wide minimum age of 16” for using social media, video-sharing platforms, and AI companions. At the same time, it would still “allowing 13- to 16-year-olds access with parental consent,” the news release said.
MEPs also want to ban platforms that do not follow EU rules and reduce the influence of persuasive technology, including targeted advertising and influencer marketing aimed at young people.
They say the EU must take urgent action on new risks linked to artificial intelligence, such as deepfakes and AI chatbots designed to engage children.
Children’s online safety
The European Commission is now studying a similar move in Australia, which plans to introduce the world’s first ban on under-16s using social media next month.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has spoken strongly about the need to protect children from harmful online algorithms.
In a recent speech, she warned about “algorithms that prey on children’s vulnerabilities with the explicit purpose of creating addictions” and described parents feeling helpless against “the tsunami of big tech flooding their homes,” as reported by The Guardian.
She has promised that a panel of experts will be set up by the end of the year to advise the EU on the best approach.
Australia bans social media for children under 16
Earlier this month, the Australian government confirmed that its new law banning children under 16 from holding social-media accounts would begin on December 10.
A rights advocacy group has challenged the law in Australia’s High Court, but the government says it is determined to go ahead. Communications Minister Anika Wells told Parliament, “We will not be intimidated by legal challenges. We will not be intimidated by Big Tech. On behalf of Australian parents, we stand firm.”
