European Parliament Today Called For Children To Be At Least 16 Years Old Before Accessing Social Media

The European Parliament today called for children to be at least 16 years old before accessing social media, video-sharing platforms and AI companions, amid growing concerns over the physical and mental health risks posed by online activity.

MEPs adopted a non-legislative report on Wednesday by 483 votes in favour, 92 against and 86 abstentions, voicing deep concern about manipulative online practices that encourage addictive behaviour and undermine children’s ability to concentrate.

To help parents manage their children’s digital presence, Parliament is proposing a harmonised EU-wide minimum age of 16 for accessing major online platforms, with the option for 13- to 16-year-olds to use them with parental consent. MEPs also welcomed the Commission’s work on an EU age-verification app and the European digital identity (eID) wallet, but stressed that any age-assurance tools must be accurate and protect minors’ privacy.

The report calls for far stricter enforcement of EU digital rules, including the possibility of holding senior managers personally liable in cases of serious and persistent non-compliance, particularly where the safety of minors and age verification are concerned.

MEPs are also urging the Commission to take wider action to address harmful online practices.

They want the most addictive design features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, pull-to-refresh mechanics, reward loops and other forms of harmful gamification either banned or automatically disabled for minors. They are also calling for non-compliant websites to be prohibited from operating in the EU, and for the forthcoming Digital Fairness Act to tackle persuasive technologies including targeted advertising, influencer marketing and dark patterns.

The report further demands a ban on engagement-based recommendation systems for minors, and the extension of Digital Services Act rules to online video platforms, alongside the outlawing of loot boxes and other randomised gaming features. MEPs argue that children should be shielded from commercial exploitation, including financial incentives offered to encourage “kidfluencing”.

Finally, they call for urgent action to address the ethical and legal risks posed by generative AI tools, such as deepfakes, AI-powered nudity apps, companionship chatbots and autonomous AI agents.

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