EU Parliament charges for age restrictions to access social networks

Parliament’s resolution, supported by 483 votes in favour, 92 against and 86 abstentions, calls for an EU-wide ban on access by under-16s to online platforms, video-sharing sites and artificial intelligence agents without parental consent and a total ban on under-13s.

“We are in the middle of an experiment, an experiment in which American and Chinese tech giants have unlimited access to the attention of our children and young people for hours every day, almost entirely without supervision,” Danish lawmaker Christel Schaldemose, the resolution’s sponsor, told Parliament on Tuesday.

Schaldemose said those responsible for the experiment include the head of social network X, Elon Musk, and Meta’s Marc Zuckerberg, and the Communist Party of China and “their technology representatives at TikTok.”

The effects of social media on children’s health and safety have become a growing global concern, with companies including TikTok, Snapchat, Google and Meta – the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – facing lawsuits in the United States for their role in fueling a mental health crisis.

The European Parliament’s resolution also calls for a ban on “loot boxex”, virtual items that can be won or purchased with real money in environments such as video games, and on engagement-based recommendation algorithms for minors, as well as legislation that requires age-appropriate content design.

“We’ve finally drawn the line. We’re clearly telling platforms, ‘Your services weren’t designed for kids and the experience ends here,'” Schaldemose said.