EU experts recommend restricting social media for children under 13, propose tiered access model
EU Commission experts advocate an EU-wide restriction on social media access for minors under 13, with under-threes facing a total screen ban and platforms required to prove safety for teenagers.
A comprehensive report with teeth
The expert group, co-chaired by German youth psychiatrist Jörg Fegert and French researcher Maria Melchior, handed its report to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Monday. Drawing on evidence that European teenagers spend on average four to six hours daily on social media, the authors argue this harms brain development and personality formation. Their central recommendation is a regulatory U-turn: instead of relying on parents to police children’s use, they propose shifting the burden of proof to the platforms themselves.
Social media is not a toy. It is a very profitable, but also a dangerous product.
A tiered model from zero to eighteen
For children up to three years old, the report advises zero screen time. Between three and thirteen, access would be permitted only under parental or teacher supervision and for limited periods. From thirteen onward, adolescents could gradually gain autonomy, but only if the platforms first demonstrate their services do no harm. Fegert called this a reversal of the burden of proof. The report flags features like personalised recommendations and endless scrolling as addictive design that must be curbed.
Because such clear age bans are the wrong signal.
National fragmentation looms
Several member states are already pressing ahead with higher age limits. France plans a ban up to age 15, Austria is considering 14, and Spain is looking at 16. Germany’s legal threshold currently stands at 16, and the government favours graduated protections extending to 18. The expert group acknowledged that countries may impose stricter rules due to cultural differences, but von der Leyen insisted on a harmonised EU-wide framework to avoid a patchwork of national laws.
- EU expert recommendation
- 13 years
- Austria
- 14 years
- France
- 15 years
- Spain
- 16 years
- Germany
- 16 years
Enforcement gaps and the existing legal frame
Today, the GDPR already forbids children under 13 (or under 16 in some states, with parental consent) from independently consenting to data processing. Platforms like Meta and TikTok have set 13 as the minimum age in their terms of service, yet enforcement remains weak. Australia’s six-month experience with a minimum-age law shows many children still circumvent the rules. Von der Leyen pointed to an EU-developed age-verification app that is user-friendly and privacy-compliant, giving parents back a measure of control.
What comes next
Von der Leyen called the expert blueprint convincing and promised a formal legislative proposal after the EU institutions’ summer recess. The scope would target platforms with age-inappropriate and addiction-promoting design. The Commission already has proceedings open against Meta over insufficient age checks. In Germany, Bavarian premier Markus Söder described himself as “open minded” toward the initiative, and a recent commission under Education Minister Karin Prien likewise backed an age limit of 13. Von der Leyen framed the issue in terms of product safety: just as carmakers must build seatbelts in, she argued, tech companies should ensure their products are safe by design.
