The European Union announced sweeping restrictions Wednesday that would lock children under 13 out of social media entirely, a move child safety advocates are calling a turning point in the global fight over youth online protection.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled the proposal, which shifts enforcement responsibility away from platforms and onto app stores. Those digital storefronts would need to verify user ages through an EU-run authentication system before allowing downloads of social apps.
“Many perceive the power of large tech as overwhelming and impossible to roll back. I disagree,” von der Leyen said, adding that the debate should focus on when and how social media companies gain access to minors, not the reverse.
Teenagers aged 13 to 15 would face strict limits under the plan. Access would require a “mini account” linked to a parent or guardian’s profile, capped at one hour per day. Patrick Grady, head of European tech at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, told Positive News the layered verification approach makes evasion far more difficult.
“Teens will find it much harder to circumvent these bans,” Grady said. “The EU will succeed where Australia has so far failed.”
Meanwhile, privacy advocates warn the rules could backfire. Requiring every user to submit personal identification to access any platform raises significant data protection concerns, critics note.
Still, the proposal has energized reformers. Leanda Barrington-Leach, executive director at campaign group 5Rights, framed the shift as a direct challenge to the tech industry’s long-standing operating assumptions.
“The days of tech exceptionalism and their systematic exploitation of children for profit are numbered,” she said.
The European Parliament and member states must now negotiate the final text before any implementation. If adopted, the framework would set the world’s strictest baseline for youth social media access.
