In December 2025, Australia became the first country in the world to ban social media for children under the age of 16.
This measure sparked debate among teenagers, parents, experts, and politicians around the world, reaching Europe too.
Not only countries like France, Greece, Spain, and Denmark are considering plans to forbid the use of social platforms to under 15s and under 16s, but also the European Union (EU) is exploring this option.
On Tuesday, the European Commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, said the EU could propose a bloc-wide social media ban for children as early as this summer.
“We are witnessing the lightning speed at which technology is advancing – and how it penetrates every corner of childhood and adolescence. And the discussions about a minimum age for social media can no longer be ignored,” von der Leyen told delegates at the European Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Children in Copenhagen.
