Story perspectives

EU Targets Minors: Stricter Social Media Age Restrictions Ahead

3/17/2026

Summary

Story summary

In May 2025, France and Spain launched a plan to prohibit minors under 15 from accessing social media across the European Union.
The plan seeks to enforce stricter age-verification systems for social media platforms, with penalties for non-compliance.
The European Commission is developing a mobile app to verify user ages without revealing exact birthdate, to complement these efforts.
The app will be tested in Spain, France, Greece, Denmark, and Italy.

History

Historical Context

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was enacted by the European Union on May 25, 2018, to unify data protection laws across member states and enhance individual privacy rights. This regulation imposes strict consent requirements and hefty fines for violations, impacting major companies like Facebook and Google. Recent initiatives in France and Spain to limit social media access for minors reflect ongoing concerns about online safety and data protection.

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Story summary

In May 2025, France and Spain launched a plan to prohibit minors under 15 from accessing social media across the European Union.
The plan seeks to enforce stricter age-verification systems for social media platforms, with penalties for non-compliance.
The European Commission is developing a mobile app to verify user ages without revealing exact birthdate, to complement these efforts.
The app will be tested in Spain, France, Greece, Denmark, and Italy.

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