European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has signalled that Brussels may seek to introduce legislation for a blanket ban on social media access for teenagers throughout the entire bloc by the summer.
Speaking at the European Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Children in Copenhagen, EU boss Von der Leyen said that plans for a ban on children using social media could be put forward in the coming months.
“We are witnessing the lightning speed at which technology is advancing – and how it penetrates every corner of childhood and adolescence,” she said per Euronews.
“We all know that sustainable change does not happen overnight. But if we are slow and hesitant, it will be another entire generation of children that pays the price,” von der Leyen added.
The German politician suggested the EU’s Digital COVID Pass could serve as the basis for an age-verification app required for social media platforms. EU lawmakers have previously voted in favour of using the EU’s corona pass app as the framework for the bloc’s incoming Digital Identity Wallet, which is said to be on track for release later this year.
However, according to Euronews, some member states have expressed hesitancy about using the same platform for age verification, given that it would be much more widely used and the ongoing privacy concerns over the app.
Alternatively, the bloc could adopt a model similar to that being mooted in France, which is likely to mandate social media companies, such as Instagram and TikTok, to perform age verification themselves later this year for children under 15.
It is unclear at what age the Commission is aiming to ban social media use; however, other countries, such as Australia and Indonesia, have recently imposed bans on children under 16.
The EU’s unelected governing body has already created a panel of experts to study the impacts on children of social media, including addiction and anxiety, and potential ways to prevent such outcomes.
“Without pre-empting the panel’s findings, I believe we must consider a social media delay. Depending on the results, we could come forward with a legal proposal this summer,” von der Leyen said.
On top of considering a ban for children, Brussels has already invoked its Digital Services Act censorship apparatus to scrutinise social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat to determine whether they are doing enough on their own to safeguard children.
Companies which fall afoul of the censorship act face fines of up to 6 per cent of their annual worldwide turnover and could even be banned entirely from the bloc for continued violations.
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