EU could announce social media ban for kids in September
The European Commission is reportedly considering a ban on social media for children under a certain age, potentially to be announced in September. The move aims to protect minors from online harms such as cyberbullying and exposure to inappropriate content.
Background
- The European Commission (the EU's executive branch) is reportedly preparing to propose a ban or strict age limits on social media for minors, likely announced in September 2025.
- This builds on the EU's existing Digital Services Act (DSA), which already requires platforms to assess and mitigate risks to minors, but the new proposal would go further with specific age-verification and design rules.
- The push follows growing concern across Europe about children's mental health, screen addiction, and exposure to harmful content online, mirroring similar debates in the US, UK, and Australia.
- Key background: the EU has already passed landmark tech regulations including GDPR (data privacy) and the DSA/DMA (platform accountability); this would be the first explicit EU-wide social media ban for underage users.