The European Union is looking to introduce new laws to protect children from the negative impact of social media, and the European Commission is to present an age limit for children before they can use social media.
The issue is likely to be the subject of a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday, September 16. The proposed EU Kids Act will be presented by her and EU technology chief Henna Virkkunen in Brussels the following day.
The proposed law is the result of over a year of talks and increased pressure from EU member states like France and Greece, as well as by parents and child-safety campaigners.
During the debate, Von der Leyen is likely to push for the platforms children use, such as social media, to be “safe by design”. That would involve decreasing features that make a product addictive and eliminating things that promote overuse or overuse.
The EU is also mulling on introducing a minimum age for accessing social media. An expert panel has suggested to ban access to those under 13 while France has called for a ban across Europe for those under 15. Both options have been under consideration by von der Leyen.
The debate has since picked up pace as Australia became the first nation to ban social media access for those under 16 years old. With increasing worries about the impact of social media on the mental and physical well-being of young people, several other governments are now thinking about enacting similar regulations.
Source: AFP
