EU hits pause on country-level social media bans for children
BRUSSELS, Belgium — The European Union said Thursday it does not want any more national-level bans on social media before a pan-European law is approved, as it blocked draft rules put forward by Austria. Under EU law, member states must notify the European Commission to ensure their bills do not break the bloc's rules. Austria wanted to ban children under 14 from social media, but the EU said no.…
The European Union has decided to halt any country-level bans on social media for children until a pan-European law is approved, according to a statement released on Thursday. The EU is currently blocking a draft rule proposed by Austria, which aimed to prohibit children under 14 from using social media platforms.
Under EU law, each member state must notify the European Commission to ensure their legislation does not conflict with the bloc's rules. The EU has requested Austria to withdraw its proposal, as it believes allowing countries to enact their own bans would divide the union, resulting in varying age limits across member states.
The European Commission proposed in a previous statement to ban children under 13 from social media, permitting limited, supervised access until the age of 15. Brussels fears that if member states have the opportunity to implement their own national laws, they might postpone the passage of the comprehensive EU law.
EU spokesman Thomas Regnier emphasized that the EU needs to concentrate on negotiating the EU Kids Act and ensuring the effective enforcement of their rules.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
