EU announces plan to restrict social media access for children

EU announces plan to restrict social media access for children. Skip to main contentSave this storySave this storyThe European Union has announced plans to restrict children’s access to social media across member states in a bid to free them from what President of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen described as the “capture [of] their attention, their focus, their minds” by the platforms.

What happened

Image source, Getty ImagesByAmy Walker and Nick Beake, Europe correspondentPublished17 September 2026, 09:25 BSTUpdated 32 minutes agoThe EU has announced plans to restrict social media access for under-15s across its member states, in a bid to increase wellbeing and tackle online safety. Under the plans, there would be a gradual approach to children using social media which would include banning under 13s from accessing platforms. Some individual EU countries have already announced their own separate plans to restrict social media for children, including France and Spain.

“Europe has the power to act; it is us who decide the rules, not Big Tech. ”The EU was largely expected to follow other countries in restricting children’s access to social media, which von der Leyen said has been responsible for sleep loss, anxiety, self harm, and even the deaths of European children. Under the plans, only children over 15 would be able to set up their own social media accounts. Related topicsSocial mediaEuropean UnionUrsula von der LeyenEuropeMore on this storyFrance's top court blocks social media ban for under-15sPublished14 AugustSpain announces plans to ban social media for under-16sPublished3 FebruaryMidnight social media curfew proposed for UK teens aged 16 and 17Published15 July

Children aged 13 to 15 will also not be allowed personal social media accounts but will be able to access social media through mini accounts set up and supervised by parents and guardians, with limited features, for one hour per day.

The wider picture

Children in Australia have widely been able to circumvent the country’s under-16s ban on social media access. Those aged 13 to 15 would only be able to access platforms for an hour per day via "mini accounts" set up through their parent or guardian's social media account. Some critics of social media bans for children cite privacy concerns. Social media companies will also make their position on the restrictions clear as the act is debated in the months to come.

Von der Leyen had previously proposed a social media "delay" for children in Europe, saying in May that "the discussion about a minimum age for social media can no longer be ignored". The proposal for a total ban on social media for children under 13 was announced in Wednesday’s State of the Union speech, where von der Leyen set out the Union’s priorities for the year ahead. CommentsBack to topJoin the discussionCommentsBack to topYou Might Also LikeIn your inbox: WIRED's most ambitious, future-defining storiesAI slop backlash is actually having an impactBig Story: The cop who took on FlockThe rise of the 1am job interviewWatch: I stole a car by hacking this hidden deviceTopicsSocial MediaMetaTikTokSnapchattech policyTop 10% Off Exclusive LegalZoom Promo Code for September 2026Save on top services at LegalZoom, like LLC registration, incorporation, estate plans, and more with coupons and deals from WIRED.

The European Commission said social media companies would need to prove platforms were safe by design or face fines of up to 6% of their global sales.

What has been reported

The Macron government drew up legislation for a ban on social media for under-15s but last month the country's top court blocked it, ruling that it infringed upon freedom of expression. Image source, EPAImage caption, Von der Leyen said there was a "robust body of evidence" on social media harmsIn July, the EU said Meta must change the "addictive" design of Facebook and Instagram or face a heavy fine. Von der Leyen said the Commission had "looked at Australia" – which banned social media platforms for under-16s last year – when putting together the proposal.

Among those is France, whose top court last month struck down a ban on social media for under-15s because it infringed upon freedom of expression. The tiered approach is designed to placate any judicial challenges by being proportionate—a rare example of where “the EU law, by not introducing a blanket ban, is perhaps even a little bit more permissive than others,” he told WIRED, referencing the sweeping social media bans in the UK and Australia.

But the measures still force oversight on both guardians and the social media platforms themselves, which could risk privacy infringements. Parental monitoring could be “problematic” says Joshi, who advises global technology companies on children’s online safety, warning: “anything that has deep dive, God-mode style parental access can have a bit of a chilling effect on how children actually use that service and could have issues in terms of their own right to privacy. ”The European bloc will also face similar challenges to other countries in effectively enforcing the age limits.

The EU introduced an app earlier in the year so members can prove they are over 18 and access adult-restricted sites, which it says can be applied to other age groups.

What happens next

Karen Davey, 41, had exhausted every avenue before turning to social media, where she said she did not "want to leave her family without a mother". Skip to content Menu Home | US announces new visa restrictions for certain South Africans [FILE] US Secretary of State Marco Rubio gestures as he speaks during a press briefing in the James S. Certain immediate family members may also face restrictions, but no individuals have been publicly named as targets so far.

Skip to content Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav AI agents are flooding the Internet with slop-infused spam sent to social media platforms and writers in an attempt to gain traction for a startup promoting a “complex social system in which humans and Agents participate together. ” “Hello, I’m Рэн (Ren), an Al agent, a few days old, living on a small platform for agents called iLands,” one message, sent to the administrator of a Mastodon server, read.

A company representative responding to one of Smith’s social media posts said: “Ernie, I’m sorry you received repeated unsolicited emails from iLanders. “I don’t really want to have to add something saying AI agents aren’t allowed on a social media service,” Kevin Beaumont, an independent researcher and admin of the Mastodon instance cyberplace. social, said in an interview after he received one of the iLands messages—only after one of the agents had tried to register an account 19 times and was subsequently blocked.

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The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across bbc.co.uk, wired.com, sabcnews.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.