EU Commission Reviews Minimum Age for Social Media: Experts Recommend Access Restrictions for Children Under 13
Brussels, July 13, 2026
AI-generated image (z-image via Kie.ai)
Summary
An expert group commissioned by the EU Commission spoke out in Brussels on Monday in favor of a minimum age of 13 for the use of social media. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that a concrete legislative proposal would be presented after the summer.
Brussels, July 13, 2026
An expert group appointed by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented a report in Brussels on Monday recommending an EU-wide restriction on access to social media for children under 13 and a gradual expansion of usage options beginning in the teenage years.
The EU Commission wants to overhaul the access of children and young people to social media. An expert group commissioned by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen submitted its final report in Brussels on Monday (July 13, 2026). In it, the panel advocates for an EU-wide harmonized age limit, according to the recommendations at hand.
The core of the report is a tiered regulatory approach: children under 13 should only be permitted to use social media in a time-limited manner and under the supervision of parents, legal guardians, or in educational contexts. From age 13 onward, access should be expanded gradually, with certain services potentially only being released from age 15 or 16, depending on risk.
Tiered Model: Under 13 Only with Restrictions
«Auf der Basis der vorliegenden Evidenz empfehlen wir die EU-weite harmonisierte Einführung einer Zugangsbeschränkung zu Social Media für Kinder unter 13 Jahren», the report states. Co-author Jörg Fegert, Medical Director of the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Ulm University Hospital, emphasized: «Nun zum Jugendalter: Autonomieentwicklung ist eine zentrale Entwicklungsaufgabe des Jugendalters.»
Von der Leyen announced that the recommendations would swiftly be translated into concrete policy. «Wir werden uns den Bericht sehr genau ansehen und nach dem Sommer einen Vorschlag vorlegen», the Commission President said. There would be «ein Mindestalter geben, ab dem sich Kinder auf Social Media anmelden können». With the report, the «Status-quo, in denen wir es den großen Tech-Unternehmen erlauben, uneingeschränkten Zugang zu unseren Kindern erlauben», is no longer acceptable, she warned.
The Commission President pointed to the particular urgency: «Wir haben keine Zeit.» Young people today already spend a total of around 20 years of their lives online, added the mother of seven. According to the plans, the Commission is to set a corresponding age limit by the end of 2026, with a first draft law expected for early autumn, possibly as part of the State of the Union address in September.
National Initiatives and International Models
The push comes amid an already ongoing debate in several member states. Austria plans, according to the federal government, a social media ban for under-14s. Austria's State Secretary for Digitalization, Alexander Pröll, emphasized: «Kinder und Jugendliche brauchen jetzt Schutz und solange es auf EU-Ebene keine geltende Regelung gibt, bleiben wir bei unserem nationalen Ansatz.»
In France, a ban for under-16s has been in force since December. The EU Commission, however, considers the French legislative proposal, which originally targeted under-15s, not fully compatible with EU law; in the Commission's view, the government in Paris must adapt its plans. In the United Kingdom, a ban for under-16s is being prepared, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer citing the protection and well-being of children as justification.
Spain, Denmark, and other countries are also working, according to the Commission, toward a «digitale Volljährigkeit» (digital age of majority). Australia was the first country in the world to introduce a social media ban for under-16s at the end of 2025. German Federal Family Minister Karin Prien (CDU) had previously spoken out in favor of a ban for under-13s in Germany; the German experts on the expert panel had likewise recommended a ban for children under 13 or restrictions on individual services depending on risk.
Legal Basis: Digital Services Act
Legally, the EU relies on the Digital Services Act (DSA). Article 28 on «Online-Schutz Minderjähriger» (online protection of minors) obliges online platforms to take «geeignete und verhältnismäßige Maßnahmen» to protect minors. The DSA has been in force for two years and is intended to force online companies to take stronger action against illegal and hate-inciting content on the internet. Many platforms already provide for access from age 13 for data protection reasons.
Within the Brussels Commission there is also a desire for a unified line: there is a wish not to allow «keine übermäßige Fragmentierung», meaning no different rules across the 27 member states. A concrete legislative proposal from the Commission would then have to be deliberated by the European Parliament and the Council of the 27 member states.
For the technical implementation of age verification, the EUDI Wallet digital wallet also plays a role in the plans at hand; it is to be available in Germany from early 2027. This would allow the age of users to be verified without, for example, a copy of an ID being passed on to platforms.
Technical Implementation via the EUDI Wallet
Pressure for an EU-wide minimum age is also coming from the European Parliament: as early as November, the plenary had called for a minimum age of 13 for the use of social media and so-called AI friends. Von der Leyen herself had previously stressed that the question is no longer whether children are exposed to risks online, but what can be done about it.
The EU Commission stated that children and young people are «jetzt und heute mit großen Risiken durch technologisches Design und durch inadäquate Inhalte auf Social Media» confronted. Against this backdrop, the Brussels authority assesses the undertaking as «eine der größten Herausforderungen für die Regierungen»: how children can be protected and which norms and regulations are suited to that end.
Risks, Criticism, and Open Questions
Among experts, the assessment is not uncontested. Supporters point to evidence of addiction risks and psychological burdens from intensive social media use among minors, for instance in connection with the Meta corporation, whose platforms Instagram and Facebook are the focus of investigations. A first study on the Australian age limit, however, showed that the effect has so far been «fast wirkungslos».
Critics warn that a blanket ban merely shifts usage into harder-to-control areas and restricts the digital participation of young people. The Ulm child psychiatrist Fegert, however, emphasized that a differentiated, age-tiered solution can enable «Autonomieentwicklung» while reducing risks.
Outlook: Draft Legislation After the Summer Break
Until a binding European legal framework is in place, several months are likely to pass: the presentation of a draft law by the end of summer or early autumn of 2026 marks only the beginning of a process that would end with a vote between Parliament and the member states. Until then, a patchwork of national rules threatens — precisely what the Commission explicitly wants to avoid.
The next political milestones are the summer break of the EU institutions and the State of the Union address by Ursula von der Leyen in September, in which she intends to announce the concrete proposal. By the end of 2026, a corresponding age limit is to be set according to the report — ushering the debate over child protection, digital self-determination, and the power of large platforms into a new round.
Questions & Answers
Which minimum age for social media does the EU expert commission recommend?
The expert group recommends an EU-wide harmonized restriction on access to social media for children under 13, with a gradual expansion beginning in the teenage years.
What did EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announce on July 13, 2026?
Von der Leyen announced that she would examine the expert report closely and present a concrete legislative proposal after the summer, establishing an EU-wide age limit for social media.
Which countries have already introduced a social media ban or are preparing one?
Australia was the first country in the world to introduce a ban for under-16s at the end of 2025; the United Kingdom is preparing a ban for under-16s; Austria is planning a national ban; and France, Spain, and Denmark are also working on age limits.
EU Minimum Age Social Media: Expert Report Recommends 13 | allfacts360
