European Parliament approves opinion on EU digital age limits and online child protection
Members of the European Parliament have approved an opinion on the impact of social media and the wider online environment on young people, proposing stronger protection for minors, clearer responsibilities for online platforms and improved enforcement across the EU. The opinion supports establishing a common European age limit for social media, requiring users to be at least 16 unless parental authorisation is granted, and prohibiting access for children under 13, alongside effective and privacy-friendly age verification systems and more consistent enforcement of existing child protection laws. It calls on the European Commission to introduce further measures through a forthcoming EU Digital Fairness Act to address gaps in current legislation without creating unnecessary regulatory burdens, covering practices such as targeted advertising, influencer marketing, addictive design features, loot boxes, virtual currencies and misleading website design, and highlighting risks linked to artificial intelligence, including misinformation, manipulation and emotional dependency, with a request for strict safeguards.