MEPs call for stronger online protection for children
Growing alarm over the digital habits of Europe’s youngest users is driving calls for bold new rules that could reshape how children interact with social media.
The European Parliament is urging stronger EU-wide measures to protect minors online, calling for a harmonised minimum age of 16 for accessing social media, video-sharing platforms, and AI companions. Under the proposal, children aged 13 to 16 would only be allowed to join such platforms with their parents’ consent.
MEPs say the move responds to growing concerns about the impact of online environments on young people’s mental health, attention span, and exposure to manipulative design practices.
The report, adopted by a large majority of MEPs, also calls for stricter enforcement of existing EU rules and greater accountability from tech companies. Lawmakers seek accurate, privacy-preserving age verification tools, including the forthcoming EU age-verification app and the European digital identity wallet.
They also propose making senior managers personally liable in cases of serious, repeated breaches, especially when platforms fail to implement adequate protections for minors.
Beyond age limits, Parliament is calling for sweeping restrictions on harmful features that fuel digital addiction. That includes banning practices such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, reward loops, and dark patterns for minors, as well as prohibiting non-compliant websites altogether.
MEPs also want engagement-based recommendation systems and randomised gaming mechanics like loot boxes outlawed for children, alongside tighter controls on influencer marketing, targeted ads, and commercial exploitation through so-called ‘kidfluencing.’
The report highlights growing public concern, as most Europeans view protecting children online as an urgent priority amid rising rates of problematic smartphone use among teenagers. Rapporteur Christel Schaldemose said the measures mark a turning point, signalling that platforms can no longer treat children as test subjects.
‘The experiment ends here,’ she said, urging consistent enforcement of the Digital Services Act to ensure safer digital spaces for Europe’s youngest users.
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