According to a document obtained by POLITICO, countries want Brussels to go further by establishing an EU-wide age of digital adulthood, below which minors would need parental consent to log onto social media — meaning that kids couldn’t automatically access any of the most popular apps such as TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat.
The proposal is set to be discussed by EU digital ministers at a meeting in early June. It comes as Denmark prepares to take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU for a six-month stint in which Copenhagen has already committed to action in Brussels.
“Protection of our children online will be a key priority for the upcoming Danish EU presidency,” Denmark’s Minister of Digital Affairs Caroline Stage Olsen said in a statement. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has also previously said she supports a ban on social media for under-15s.
The proposal was sent to other countries on Thursday to ask for their support ahead of the Council meeting, an EU official with knowledge of the process said.
It’s a sign that European capitals are not happy with the pace at which Brussels regulators are taking action and are joining forces in a fresh bid to prevent children from being exposed to excessive screen time. Protecting minors from online harms and risks “demands collective action at the European level,” the proposal reads.
The move follows a year-long effort by French President Emmanuel Macron. “We must regain control of the lives of our children and teenagers, in Europe, and impose digital majority at age 15, not before,” he said in April 2024, coining the phrase digital majority to mean a legal definition of the age under which kids should be banned from certain online behaviors.
