The European Parliament proposed on Wednesday to prohibit free access to social networks in the European Union for those under 16 to counter “the physical and psychological risks” incurred by children and adolescents online.
In a non-binding report adopted by a large majority in the plenary session in Strasbourg, MEPs call for “setting at 16 the harmonized minimum age in the EU for access to social networks, video sharing platforms and AI companions, while allowing access for 13-16 year olds with parental consent”.
Sites could be banned
At the same time, they recommend banning the most dangerous addictive practices for minors, such as “pull-to-refresh” which consists of sliding your finger down on the screen of a device to refresh a page, or reward systems. Sites that do not comply with European regulations should also be banned.
This proposal for a minimum age, or digital majority, further increases the pressure on the platforms, while the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has launched a reflection on the advisability of implementing such a measure across the entire EU.
A panel of experts must submit recommendations to Mrs von der Leyen, herself in favor of such bans, by the end of the year. Harmonization at European level would limit the dispersion of national rules and ensure coherent protection of children.
Services not designed for children
“I am proud of this Parliament, which allows us to act together to protect minors online,” declared Danish MEP Christel Schaldemose (S&D, social democrats) who introduced the text during the debates. “We clearly tell the platforms: your services are not designed for children. And the experience ends there,” she said.
The text also calls for “urgent action to address the ethical and legal challenges posed by generative AI tools, including deepfakes, pet chatbots, AI agents and AI-powered nudity applications.”
According to studies cited in the report, 97% of young people connect to the internet every day and 78% of 13 to 17 year olds check their device at least once an hour. At the same time, one in four minors use a smartphone described as “problematic” or “dysfunctional”, that is to say comparable to an addiction.
