Austria sends draft for social media minimum age of 14 into consultation

What the draft specifically provides for

The draft deliberately avoids a "taxative list" of individual providers. Instead, platforms that employ an "addictive function" are to be blocked for under-14s. According to the consultation text, this includes recommendation algorithms with "predominantly content from strangers," mechanisms such as endless scrolling or automatic playback, reward systems for continuous use, and push notifications during non-use. "Endless scrolling" and the automatic playback of videos are also explicitly mentioned as examples, as is the mediation of problematic role models who post on social media whatever they want.

According to Digitalisation State Secretary Alexander Pröll (ÖVP), age verification is to be based on the so-called "double-blind model." "By means of zero-knowledge proof procedures, it is only confirmed whether someone has reached the minimum age – a simple yes or no," Pröll explained. The program then only tells the respective social medium whether the person is old enough – name, date of birth or other sensitive data would not be transmitted. The third-party provider only passes on to the platform whether the registered person is over 14 years of age. The government wants to allay data protection concerns that the SPÖ and Neos had emphasised from the start.

How age verification works

"With our draft law, we are fulfilling a promise: to the children in this country and to their parents," said Pröll after the cabinet meeting. Austria is thus "one of the first countries in Europe to give children under 14 clear legal protection against the dangers of social media." The platforms have had enough time to "take responsibility themselves." According to media reports, violations face penalties in the billions; the KommAustria is to be responsible for supervision, and the concrete sanction mechanisms are still being negotiated in the consultation process.

The government underscores the necessity of the law with current studies. According to these, every fourth child shows addiction-like symptoms in dealing with digital media; almost half of 13- to 17-year-olds use their device almost continuously. Hours of scrolling through algorithm-driven feeds should no longer be possible in the future – at least for under-14s. "We know the harmful effects of these platforms," said Babler, adding: "Children have a right to be protected by politics."

Federal Chancellor Stocker spoke after the cabinet meeting of a "good day from the perspective of children." There are "for the first time clear rules for access to certain social media platforms for under-14s." Vice Chancellor Babler added: "I consider this an important and right step to better protect young people from problematic content and functions in the digital space." It is about ensuring "that what we do not want to expose our children to in the real world, we also do not allow in the digital space."

Timeline: notification and entry into force

On the timeline, the government is optimistic but cautious. "If everything goes well with the notification," the law could enter into force in January 2027, Babler explained. The platforms are then to be given three months to implement the new rules. Babler assumes that the law can enter into force on 1 January 2027. An obligation to verify therefore kicks in no earlier than April 2027. In an initial reaction, the People's Party also expressed satisfaction: it had pushed the draft forward swiftly and wanted to make the protection of the youngest bindingly enforceable with clear rules.

Parallel to the statutory regulation, the government is planning accompanying measures in the education sector. The subject "Media and Democracy" is to be introduced in upper secondary schools and teaching is to be expanded to include the topic of artificial intelligence. With this, schools and parents should not be left alone in teaching media literacy, said Babler. In conjunction with the military service reform, the legislative package is to "make a contribution to security in the country: because we want to keep our country not only worth living, but also worth loving."

Accompanying measures in schools

For the concrete process of age verification, the government is relying on modern cryptography. The connection is to be made via ID Austria, an existing digital identity verification system of the state. The third-party provider then only has to pass on to the respective platform whether the registered person is over 14 years of age. Pröll emphasised that neither name nor date of birth nor other sensitive data would reach the platforms. The model is oriented towards European data protection standards and deliberately deviates from the so-called "Australian model," which was out of the question for SPÖ and Neos from the start.

Criticism came meanwhile from Brussels. It is "the failure of the EU that it did not provide clarity earlier," said Babler with a view to the sluggish negotiations at European level. Now the details for the Austrian path are on the table. The government hopes to assume a pioneering role in other EU states with the draft. Should the EU Commission raise objections during the notification process, the timeline could shift.

With the consultation, which started on Monday, the technical and political discussion now begins. Interest groups, lawyers, platform operators and opposition parties have the opportunity to comment within the statutory deadline. Only then will the government bring a revised version before parliament. The goal remains: the earliest possible protection of under-14s from addiction-promoting mechanisms, without undermining data protection or restricting the freedom of expression of older users.

Consultation and next steps

Overall, the draft shows a dual thrust: on the one hand, a ban on use for under-14s; on the other, structural requirements for the platforms. Which providers will be precisely affected depends on which functions they offer. Austria is thus taking a regulatorily independent path, which is also likely to shape the European debate on child protection online in the coming months.

With Monday's decision, the federal government sees itself on a course that is intended to relieve families and protect children. The coalition is also aware that negotiations with the EU Commission are still pending. Babler, however, was convinced that the notification would succeed – otherwise the envisaged entry-into-force date in January 2027 would be difficult to keep.

In sum, the project links several policy areas: youth protection, data protection, media literacy and security. With the new subject "Media and Democracy" and the expansion of teaching to include artificial intelligence, the next generation is to learn to use digital offerings critically – accompanied by the legal ban, which is to take effect in spring 2027.