EU weighs bloc-wide social media ban for minors this summer

The European Commission is preparing a bloc-wide plan to restrict minors’ access to social media as early as this summer, spurred by member states pressing for stronger protections. An independent expert panel on online child safety is evaluating options, including a minimum age and an EU-wide age-verification system modeled on the Digital COVID Certificate. The move could outpace France’s national ban for under-15s, but technical and privacy hurdles remain. The EU is also scrutinizing platforms under the Digital Services Act and considering further steps in the Digital Fairness Act; Australia and Indonesia have already enacted similar measures.