Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said the European Union (EU) could introduce stricter social media rules to protect minors. This comes as regulators are increasing pressure on major social media platforms over child safety concerns. The body claimed that Meta Platforms (META), TikTok, a subsidiary of AI and data firm ByteDance, and Elon Musk‘s X platform expose children to harmful and addictive content.
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EU Targets Addictive Social Media Features
Von der Leyen said the Commission is working on new measures and a likely ban on social media platforms for minors. These rules will limit business models that rely on keeping younger users engaged for longer periods.
She also noted that many of the risks children face online stem from these business models. This is because they mostly focus on user attention and engagement, rather than safety. These risks include anxiety, cyberbullying, depression, suicide, exploitation, and grooming.
She specifically pointed to Instagram and Facebook, both owned by Meta Platforms. She stated that they do not enforce rules linked to their minimum age requirements of 13 years old.
The president also said that children’s unregulated exposure to these platforms when their minds are still developing is harmful. She added that the growing use of AI tools might increase these risks among young people.
At the same time, the EU is trying to limit features like endless scrolling, autoplay videos, and push notifications. This will help reduce the addictive behavior related to social media platforms among young users.
EU Considers Tougher Restrictions for Minors
The EU president claimed that the body is considering a new rule, which she described as a “Social media delay.” This will prevent minors from accessing social media platforms until they have reached a certain age.
Several countries have adopted this method. For example, Australia became the first country to ban people who are under 16 from using social media platforms in late 2025. Greece also plans to take similar steps for users who are under 15 starting next year, while France might enforce the law later this year.
At the same time, the union is developing an age-verification system that requires users to prove they are over 18 before accessing content. As part of its efforts to ensure social media safety, the EU has launched a probe into Meta Platforms and initiated a court case against X over concerns linked to its Grok AI tool. The chatbot has been allegedly used to create indecent images of children and women.
Meanwhile, Instagram recently improved its safety rules across the EU’s 27 member states. The platform introduced extra parental alerts for self-harm and suicide-related searches.
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