EU official urges limits on social media access for children under 13 while safety standards are assessed

A top European Union official on Monday urged that limits be placed on children’s access to social media, saying the EU should move toward a rule that would bar children under 13 from using platforms until companies can demonstrate their services are safe for younger users.

The remarks came as a special EU panel that has been examining the risks faced by children online recommended prohibiting access for those under 13 until platforms can provide evidence that they meet safety requirements. The panel’s approach, as described by the reporting, focuses on making safety verification a condition for continued access rather than relying only on voluntary measures.

The proposal would shift the burden of proof toward technology companies, according to the account of the EU panel’s work. Rather than allowing under-13 use by default, the recommendation contemplates a temporary restriction while safeguards are tested and assessed.

EU institutions have increasingly treated child online protection as a regulatory and public safety issue, with officials pushing for clearer obligations for operators of social media services. In this context, the Monday call for age limits reflects a broader effort to establish enforceable standards for age-appropriate access and risk controls.

The EU panel’s recommendation also underscores the compliance challenge for platforms, which must show that their systems can protect minors from harm. The reporting characterizes the interim age threshold as a way to manage risk while the EU reviews what “safe” means in practice and whether existing safety measures are sufficient.

In the immediate term, the call from the EU official and the panel’s recommendation set the agenda for how EU regulators may translate child-safety assessments into concrete rules for user access, including age gating and verification mechanisms.

The next step for the EU will be determining how any restriction would be implemented, what types of proof would satisfy safety requirements, and what timelines and enforcement tools would apply to platforms that do not meet the standard. The reporting did not specify a final legislative timeline in the account of Monday’s statements.

For families and children, any move toward an under-13 restriction could affect how minors sign up for platforms, how parents monitor online activity, and how companies verify age, with potential knock-on effects for online services that are widely used for school, social connection, and community information.