EU proposes social media ban for children under 13, supervised access for those under 15

The European Union EU has proposed banning social media for children under 13 and allowing limited supervised access for those aged 13 to under 15 under plans unveiled on Wednesday by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen news agency AFP reportedThe proposed restrictions come amid growing global backlash against social media and increasing evidence pointing to its negative impact on the physical and mental health of childrenLast year Australia became the first country to ban social media for individuals under the age of 16 leading to similar moves elsewhereThe 27country bloc would take a gradual approach von der Leyen said during her annual keynote address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg FranceEach age has its own sensitivities And therefore each will have its own tailored protection level she statedNo social media under the age of 13 No personal account under the age of 15 she addedThat means from 13 to under 15 only mini accounts set up and supervised by parents or guardians with limited features and time restriction to one hour a day said von der Leyen adding And between 15 and 18 safe design will be an obligation for the platformsBefore outlining the EUs approach von der Leyen paid tribute to a 14yearold girl in Belgium who died by suicide one month ago after being bullied She quoted the girls mother as saying I am convinced that without these omnipresent networks my daughter would still be hereVon der Leyen did not mention online games or AI chatbots which according to draft legislation seen by AFP would also be covered by the restrictionsThe European Commission President and tech chief Henna Virkkunen will formally present the proposed KIDS Act along with the tiered age limits in Strasbourg France on ThursdayThe EU will also ban addictive design features such as socalled infinite scrolling where children are concerned according to a draft documentPlatforms that break the rules could face fines of up to six per cent of their annual turnover according to the draft detailsEurope has the power to act It is we who decide our rules not big tech von der Leyen statedWe do not have to accept addictive features she warned saying platforms will have to prove that they are safeIt is not about our minors accessing social media It is about when and how do we allow social media to access minors von der Leyen addedThe risk is not just restricted to children she noted Addictive design for example is harming everyone she said telling EU lawmakers that Europe needed more rules that would be proposed in the autumnPressure from EU statesAmong those listening in the grand chamber was Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney whose country has also acted to reduce social media use among under16sVon der Leyen had faced pressure from member states including France Denmark and Greece for action across the 27nation bloc to reduce online harms to childrenThe EU has sought for years to keep Big Tech in check empowering itself with a strengthened legal framework that it now believes is not sufficientThe bloc has already asked Meta platforms Facebook and Instagram as well as TikTok to change their addictive design through its content law known as the Digital Services Act However changes are taking longer than Brussels expectsDigital and childrens rights groups have raised concerns over how the new social media curbs will work in practice as well as over a related agecheck app the EU is preparing to roll outAge verification is not a silver bullet and would raise serious privacy and data protection concerns said European consumer organisation BEUCs Agustin ReynaThursdays proposal can only become law after negotiations on a final text between EU capitals and the European Parliament a process that could take monthsWith inputs from AFP