BRUSSELS – Ahead of the third meeting of the Special Panel advising President Ursula Von Der Leyen on a potential social media ban in the EU, more than 170 child rights organizations and experts across Europe have joined forces to call for a more nuanced and rights-based approach.
Since last year, and inspired in part by Australia’s approach, EU Member States have been racing to set minimum age limits for children’s access to social media, ranging from 13 years old with parental consent to 15 or 16 years old. As this patchwork approach poses a risk of high market fragmentation, the European Commission has begun consulting civil society ahead of a possible proposal for an EU-wide restriction later this year.
The debate among different experts has been fierce. Many child rights organizations share politicians’ frustration that children remain exposed to serious risks online, including cyberbullying, sexual exploitation and economic manipulation, despite recent digital regulations. However, many also warn that age restrictions could backfire by pushing children to bypass age gates, reducing incentives for platforms to invest in safety, and worsening the social exclusion of the most vulnerable children. With one in three children and young people in Europe reaching out to helplines online in 2024, cutting off access to online environments may mean severing critical lifelines for children.
President von der Leyen has on several occasions signalled her interest in a social media delay modelled on Australia’s approach. However, child rights organizations are urging caution. The present letter, led by the 5Rights Foundation and signed by 140 leading experts in child protection and child rights, including Child Helpline International, presents a united call for safety-by-design rather than exclusion.
Fabiola Bas Palomares, Child Helpline International Senior Policy Officer, said:
“Policymakers across Europe are saying enough is enough. And we agree. We share the anger and the urgency. But we should not turn frustration into policy, at the risk of causing more harm than good.”
The EU’s focus should be on building safer digital spaces, where children’s voices are heard, their rights are respected, and their wellbeing is non-negotiable. The solution does not lie in excluding children from online spaces, but in enforcing strict minimum safety standards for all platforms accessible to them.