EU will nationale Social-Media-Verbote stoppen

The European Commission plans to temporarily suspend national regulations on age limits for social media use. Member states are asked to halt corresponding legislative proposals for one year in order to establish a unified European rule. Instead of varied regulations, a single European approach is envisioned, with the risks to the mental health of young people cited as the reason.

Despite the EU proposing a uniform legal framework, countries have maintained different approaches and age limits. In September, the EU presented the "Kids Act," intended to create uniform standards across Europe and provide separate restrictions for children under 13 and teenagers under 15. Some member states have continued working on their own bans.

Countries like Greece and Denmark declared they would not wait for EU-wide rules to be negotiated and implemented. "The Commission has decided to postpone all national law drafts that intersect with the future harmonized rules for twelve months," Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier told journalists on Thursday. Austria had already asked the Commission in July to assess whether its planned law banning access for under 14-year-olds complied with EU law.

The deadline for a Commission response expired on Thursday. The EU Commission then instructed Austria to suspend the enactment of the law for one year, Regnier explained. "A European problem requires a common European response," Regnier stated. "We must now focus on the negotiations for the EU Kids Act." Member states must now agree on the details of the Kids Act with the European Parliament and the Commission before the rules can be implemented.

According to the Commission's proposal, access to social media for children under 13 would be banned in most cases, with usage heavily restricted for teenagers under 15. Platforms would also be obligated to ensure greater safety from the outset, including for video games and AI companions. How member states react to this call is unclear.

Greece has already adopted a separate law for under 15-year-olds and is likely to retain it, as the process had already been completed before the EU proposal. Regnier did not comment on individual countries' reactions to the Commission's request, except for Greece, where he noted "nuances" related to when the country submitted its law for the Commission's review of compatibility with EU law.