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Australia was able to, Indonesia, too. Now it's the EU's turn.
The European Union is preparing for the toughest restriction of social networks for children in recent years. The European Commission may in the summer will introduce a bill that will prohibit children from using platforms like Instagram *, TikTok and Snapchat until a certain age.
The possible initiative was announced by the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the European Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Children in Copenhagen. Brussels is discussing new rules amid pressure from EU countries: France, Spain, Greece and Denmark are increasingly demanding to protect children from platforms that cause addiction and increasing anxiety. Earlier, the European Parliament has already supported the idea of a single digital minimum age for access to online services.
Von der Leyen noted that technology develops at a tremendous speed and penetrate almost all aspects of childhood and teenage life. According to the head of the European Commission, the discussion of the minimum age for access to social networks can no longer be postponed.
The European Commission has already created an independent expert group on the safety of children on the Internet. Experts will assess possible measures against addiction, social anxiety and other risks for minors. Von der Leyen stressed that she does not want to anticipate the conclusions of the group, but considers it necessary to consider the idea of postponing access to social networks. Depending on the results, Brussels can make a legal proposal in the summer.
The timing is also important for France. In September, the country should come into force a law that will oblige Instagram, TikTok and other platforms to block users under 15 years of age, as well as suspend the already created accounts of children under the age of 18. The French authorities have been promoting their own law on digital age for several months, but Brussels is trying to maintain a unified approach for the entire EU domestic market so that national bans do not go according to the rules and technical requirements.
The main technical problem is the age check. Platforms will need a reliable way to confirm that the user has reached a minimum age to access the service. The European Commission has already recommended that EU countries have already recommended an age verification app created on the EU digital COVID certificate model, but several governments have met the idea cautiously. Cybersecurity experts also warned of possible vulnerabilities, and one of the new systems was revealed in two minutes.
Europe is not moving towards a tougher regulation not first. Australia has already introduced strict control of children’s access to social networks, similar measures have appeared in Indonesia. Instagram and Snapchat were subject to an inspection under the Digital Services Act: Brussels is studying whether platforms protect minors enough. A separate investigation against Snapchat has already touched upon a weak check of the age of users. In parallel, the European Union is considering a ban on certain protracting design elements within the framework of the future Digital Fairness Act.
Von der Leyen admitted that sustained changes do not occur overnight, but warned that the slowness will again shift the price of digital risks to an entire generation of children.
The European Union is preparing for the toughest restriction of social networks for children in recent years. The European Commission may in the summer will introduce a bill that will prohibit children from using platforms like Instagram *, TikTok and Snapchat until a certain age.
The possible initiative was announced by the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the European Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Children in Copenhagen. Brussels is discussing new rules amid pressure from EU countries: France, Spain, Greece and Denmark are increasingly demanding to protect children from platforms that cause addiction and increasing anxiety. Earlier, the European Parliament has already supported the idea of a single digital minimum age for access to online services.
Von der Leyen noted that technology develops at a tremendous speed and penetrate almost all aspects of childhood and teenage life. According to the head of the European Commission, the discussion of the minimum age for access to social networks can no longer be postponed.
The European Commission has already created an independent expert group on the safety of children on the Internet. Experts will assess possible measures against addiction, social anxiety and other risks for minors. Von der Leyen stressed that she does not want to anticipate the conclusions of the group, but considers it necessary to consider the idea of postponing access to social networks. Depending on the results, Brussels can make a legal proposal in the summer.
The timing is also important for France. In September, the country should come into force a law that will oblige Instagram, TikTok and other platforms to block users under 15 years of age, as well as suspend the already created accounts of children under the age of 18. The French authorities have been promoting their own law on digital age for several months, but Brussels is trying to maintain a unified approach for the entire EU domestic market so that national bans do not go according to the rules and technical requirements.
The main technical problem is the age check. Platforms will need a reliable way to confirm that the user has reached a minimum age to access the service. The European Commission has already recommended that EU countries have already recommended an age verification app created on the EU digital COVID certificate model, but several governments have met the idea cautiously. Cybersecurity experts also warned of possible vulnerabilities, and one of the new systems was revealed in two minutes.
Europe is not moving towards a tougher regulation not first. Australia has already introduced strict control of children’s access to social networks, similar measures have appeared in Indonesia. Instagram and Snapchat were subject to an inspection under the Digital Services Act: Brussels is studying whether platforms protect minors enough. A separate investigation against Snapchat has already touched upon a weak check of the age of users. In parallel, the European Union is considering a ban on certain protracting design elements within the framework of the future Digital Fairness Act.
Von der Leyen admitted that sustained changes do not occur overnight, but warned that the slowness will again shift the price of digital risks to an entire generation of children.
