The European Union is preparing new measures aimed at reducing children’s access to social media, with officials considering age-based restrictions for platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. The initiative comes as regulators increase scrutiny of features they believe encourage excessive use among minors and contribute to mental health risks.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc is examining a phased approach that would introduce different levels of access based on a child’s age. Under recommendations presented by an independent expert panel, children under 13 would only be allowed to use social media under adult supervision, with restrictions gradually easing as they grow older. The Commission is expected to present a legislative proposal after the summer.
The proposal follows growing concerns that current safeguards offered by major platforms do not sufficiently protect younger users. Regulators have argued that features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, highly personalized recommendations, and continuous content feeds are designed to maximize engagement and can encourage compulsive use among children and teenagers.
The debate has intensified after the European Commission recently issued preliminary findings that Meta’s Facebook and Instagram may violate the Digital Services Act by failing to adequately address the risks posed by these design features. Officials said the company should introduce stronger protections, including limiting autoplay, reducing addictive recommendation systems, and encouraging users to take breaks. Meta has disputed the Commission’s conclusions, saying it has invested heavily in safety features for younger users, including Teen Accounts and parental supervision tools.
The planned restrictions would extend beyond Meta’s platforms. TikTok and other large online services are also expected to face tighter requirements under the Digital Services Act, which obliges very large platforms to identify and mitigate systemic risks affecting minors. European regulators have repeatedly said that responsibility for protecting children should primarily rest with platform operators rather than parents alone.
The expert recommendations also call for stronger age verification, limits on persuasive platform design, and privacy-focused methods of confirming a user’s age without requiring widespread collection of personal information. According to the Commission, protecting children online has become one of its highest digital policy priorities as several countries around the world introduce similar restrictions on social media access for minors.
No final legislation has been adopted, and any proposal would still require approval from the European Parliament and EU member states before becoming law. Until then, the Commission says it will continue working with national governments and technology companies on measures designed to improve children’s safety across online platforms.