EU plans common age limits for social media

European Union countries are set to receive common rules on social media use, with a proposal expected in early autumn, Yle reports. Henna Virkkunen, Finland’s EU commissioner and a vice-president of the European Commission, said the rules could raise the minimum age for some services from 13 to 15.

The EU is examining all social media platforms and has found that services such as TikTok and Meta are too addictive for young people. Meta also does not verify whether users are 13, the minimum age set by the company for its services.

An expert panel is preparing the initiative. The proposed rules would address the time young people spend on social media, the content platforms recommend and who can contact them.

Virkkunen said children and young people should be guaranteed a high level of privacy and safety when using social media. They should also retain rights, including access to information and the ability to communicate through social media.

Politicians in France wanted to ban social media use by children under 15, but the country’s highest court halted the plan. Virkkunen said about 20 countries are currently planning restrictions on social media use, generally for people under 15.

Virkkunen spoke about the issue in Helsinki during the country’s ambassadorial days.