Children under 13 should get only time-limited, supervised social media access, Ursula von der Leyen said, backing phased EU age limits after an expert panel urged restricting access until platforms prove they are safe.
The panel said the burden of proof should fall on providers, not parents or regulators, reflecting growing concern that features such as infinite scrolling harm young users' developing brains.
The European Commission is already pressuring platforms: it warned Meta last week under the Digital Services Act to disable addictive design features or face heavy fines.
Any proposal from von der Leyen would carry weight across the EU's 27 member states, which are also being offered an age-verification app designed to confirm age without revealing identity.
The push aligns the EU with countries including Australia, the U.K., Turkey and Indonesia, which have already moved to bar or limit social media access for children under 15 or 16.
Will the EU's plan to gate social media protect kids, or will it create a massive new surveillance system for everyone?
Is banning kids from social media a real solution, or a simple answer to a complex youth mental health crisis?
EU to Roll Out Phased Social Media Access for Minors by July 2026: New Age Verification and Safety Rules Explained
Overview
Starting July 2026, the European Union will introduce a phased approach to social media access for minors, responding to rising concerns about children's safety and well-being online. This shift follows EU investigations that found tech giants like Meta and TikTok in breach of the Digital Services Act due to addictive platform designs. Strong public demand for accountability, shown by a YouGov poll where 75% of adults support restricting minors' access until safety is proven, is driving these changes. The new rules will pressure platforms to demonstrate safety for young users, using progressive restrictions instead of outright bans.