Story perspectives

Von der Leyen Proposes EU Ban on Social Media Under 13

By Drooid · Sep 16, 2026, 10:52 PM UTC · How we work

Center

EU teen safety rules

President Ursula von der Leyen announced a proposal 16 September 2026 to ban social-media access for children under 13 in the EU.
The tiered system also mandates safe-design features for 15- to 18-year-old users, while allowing parent-supervised mini-accounts for 13- to 15-year-olds.
Von der Leyen said Europe must act and that big-tech does not set the rules.
EU states will vote on it while a Digital Fairness Act is set for autumn.

Left

Privacy Concerns Raised

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on 16 September 2026 an EU proposal banning social-media for children under 13.
The measure is presented as a response to growing evidence of social-media damage to youths’ mental and physical health, including a recent teen suicide.
13- and 14-year-olds could use parent-supervised “mini-accounts” limited to one hour daily.
Consumer group BEUC warned the age-verification app may raise serious privacy and data-protection concerns.

Blindspot

Von der Leyen said the proposal responds to growing evidence of social-media harms, citing a recent teen suicide.
Consumer group BEUC warned that the EU’s planned age-verification app could raise serious privacy and data-protection concerns.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Left-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Center-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

The U.S. passed the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act in 1998, effective April 21 2000, to require parental consent for data from users under 13. After the FTC fined Facebook $5 billion for COPPA violations in 2019, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed on 16 September 2026 an EU-wide ban on social-media for under-13s, echoing the American model.

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EU teen safety rules

President Ursula von der Leyen announced a proposal 16 September 2026 to ban social-media access for children under 13 in the EU.
The tiered system also mandates safe-design features for 15- to 18-year-old users, while allowing parent-supervised mini-accounts for 13- to 15-year-olds.
Von der Leyen said Europe must act and that big-tech does not set the rules.
EU states will vote on it while a Digital Fairness Act is set for autumn.

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