Von der Leyen is expected to use her annual State of the Union speech to unveil plans for EU-wide age restrictions on social media
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to announce proposals for an EU-wide social media ban for children during her annual State of the Union address in Strasbourg on 16 September, multiple EU officials and diplomats told Euractiv.
The move would mark Brussels’ clearest political commitment yet to introducing bloc-wide age restrictions on social media after months of pressure from national governments to better protect children online.
One representative from a national capital said Commission officials had already informed governments to expect an announcement in September, reinforcing expectations that von der Leyen will use her annual policy speech to unveil the initiative.
It remains unclear what minimum age the Commission would propose or how any restrictions would work in practice. National governments have floated different options, from mandatory parental consent to outright restrictions backed by age verification technology.
