EU opens the door for national social media bans for minors

The European Commission has announced in new guidance published under the Digital Services Act (DSA) that countries can implement their own national bans on social media platforms for minors.

The EU’s executive body has been under pressure in recent months to take measures to protect minors online. National governments in France, Denmark, Spain, and other countries have been demanding social media restrictions, with some criticizing the EU for not moving fast enough.

France and the Netherlands have supported a complete ban on social media access for children under 15. Greece has stated it believes parental consent should be required for children below a certain age. Denmark, which currently holds the presidency of the EU Council, is pushing for stronger measures at the EU level.

Tech giant Meta has also proposed introducing legal restrictions that would require parents to give permission for their children under a certain age to be on social media.

Presenting the guidance alongside the Commission’s technology commissioner Henna Virkkunen, Denmark’s digital minister Caroline Stage Olsen said, “Age verification is not a nice-to-have. It is a must-have.”

The Commission’s new principles for protecting children online aim for platforms to be subject to similar rules across Europe under the EU’s landmark social media regulation, the DSA.

The guidelines are not binding and serve as a reference point for companies to interpret the requirements under the DSA.

On Monday, the Commission also published technical specifications for an age verification app that could help verify if users are over 18 using their credentials or even facial recognition technology.

The app will be tested in five countries that have been pushing for restrictions and working on their own age verification solutions: France, Greece, Spain, Italy, and Denmark.

A senior Commission official stated, “EU countries will also be able to use the app if they decide to implement national restrictions setting different age limits for social media use.”

High-risk services such as porn platforms and online alcohol stores are also recommended to verify users’ ages.

Stage Olsen said, “It’s hard to imagine a world where children can walk into a store and buy alcohol, or get into a nightclub just by saying they are old enough, without a bouncer and an ID check, just by saying ‘yes, I’m over 18,’ but this has been the case online for years.”

The guidance published on Monday addresses how platforms should adapt their systems to better protect children.

The text suggests that platforms should not use browsing behavior in their recommendation systems, should turn off features like streaks and read receipts to reduce the addictive nature of the platforms, should set privacy and security by default (for example, making their accounts invisible to other users not in their network), and should consider turning off certain features like camera access.

The guidelines follow a risk-based approach, meaning platforms can assess potential threats to minors and take measures accordingly.

Tech companies have launched last-minute lobbying efforts, arguing that the guidelines still allow for cumbersome fragmentation.