The debate over the age at which minors should access social media has taken a significant turn in Europe. The European Parliament has approved a political report calling for a harmonized minimum age of 16 for opening accounts on social media, video-sharing services, and AI companions across the European Union.
Although the text is not legally binding, it sends a clear signal about the direction European digital regulation is heading : limiting minors' access, strengthening age verification systems, and radically curtailing features designed to hook teenagers to screens. All of this is focused on the mental health and well-being of children and young people.
A minimum age of 16 years with exceptions between 13 and 16.
The report adopted in Strasbourg proposes that free access to social media should only be permitted for those 16 and older in the EU. Between the ages of 13 and 16, minors could only use these platforms with the explicit consent of their parents or legal guardians, and for those under 13, a complete ban on access to social media and similar services is proposed.
MEPs emphasize that this rule should apply not only to traditional social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, but also to video-on-demand platforms, clip-sharing services, and AI companions that interact conversationally with children. The idea is that the entire digital environment that could have a social or emotional impact on children should adhere to a single age framework.
The resolution emphasizes that the ultimate responsibility for defining age limits lies with each Member State , as already stipulated in the Digital Services Act (DSA). However, the European Parliament wants to establish a common benchmark: 16 years as the European standard, with an absolute minimum threshold of 13 years below which access should not be permitted under any circumstances.
Political support has been widespread: the report passed with 483 votes in favor, 92 against and 86 abstentions , a majority that reflects that concern about the digital use of minors cuts across virtually the entire European political spectrum.
Reasons: addiction, mental health, and social pressure on the internet
The European Parliament has expressed deep concern about the risks to the physical and mental health of children in the digital environment, and evidence of the causal links between these risks and harm has intensified this concern. The document warns of the combination of algorithms, constant notifications, and attention-grabbing designs, which in practice translates into compulsive social media use.
The figures cited in the European Parliament's own reports are telling: 97% of young people connect to the internet daily , and 78% of teenagers between 13 and 17 years old check their devices at least once an hour. One in four minors exhibits what is considered "problematic" or "dysfunctional" smartphone use, with patterns resembling addiction.
This dynamic, MEPs warn, affects the ability to concentrate and the way in which minors relate to content , generating difficulties in disconnecting, increased stress and a notable impact on self-esteem, especially in networks focused on image and popularity.
Furthermore, the report highlights cyberbullying, exposure to age-inappropriate content , and social pressure on platforms where success is measured in followers, likes, and views as cause for alarm. According to Eurobarometer, over 90% of the European population considers it urgent to take action to protect children online, especially regarding the impact of social media on mental health and online harassment.
In the words of the report's rapporteur, MEP Christel Schaldemose, the objective is to set clear limits on platforms that were not designed for children and to stop what many consider an "experiment" with millions of minors as test subjects.
Ban infinite scrolling and other addictive features
In addition to the minimum age, the European Parliament is calling for profound changes in the design of the platforms so that they stop relying on mechanisms that encourage compulsive use. Among the proposed measures are the prohibition of the most clearly addictive practices and the default deactivation of other features that capture the attention of minors.
Among these tools, MEPs specifically cite infinite scrolling, autoplay videos, constant content reloading when swiping , reward loops, aggressive gamification, and the loot boxes or surprise chests found in video games and streaming platforms. All of these are considered dynamics that encourage users to spend hours online almost without realizing it.
It is also proposed to limit or prohibit recommendation systems based on profiling and interaction when dealing with underage users, so that algorithms do not continue to push them towards content that, although it may retain them, could be harmful or inappropriate for them.
In the advertising sector, Parliament is calling for measures against persuasive technologies used to influence children's behavior . This includes personalized ads, influencer marketing targeting children, and so-called "dark patterns"—interface designs that opaquely encourage users to click, buy, or stay logged in.
Online video platforms and gaming services are also under scrutiny: there are calls to strictly enforce the Digital Services Act and ban elements such as random reward boxes or virtual currencies that incentivize staying connected for long periods to gain advantages.
Age verification and accountability of major platforms
To ensure that all these measures do not remain a mere declaration of intent, the European Parliament supports the European Commission's initiative to develop a community-wide age verification app and a European digital identity wallet that allows for reliable age verification online.
Members of the European Parliament insist that these systems must respect children's privacy , minimize the amount of data collected, and prevent them from becoming tools for mass surveillance. Even so, they believe it is necessary to have robust mechanisms in place to prevent an 11- or 12-year-old from creating an account simply by checking a box.
The text also warns that the existence of verification tools does not absolve platforms of their own responsibility . Technology companies must ensure that their services are safe and age-appropriate "by design," without relying solely on parental controls or external applications.
Another key finding of the report is the possibility of holding senior executives of digital companies personally liable in cases of serious and repeated breaches of child protection and age verification obligations. This idea suggests that not only the company itself, but also its management, could face consequences if regulations are systematically ignored.
In parallel, MEPs are proposing to exclude from the European market those websites and services that do not comply with EU regulations on the protection of minors, which could have a major impact on non-EU platforms that operate without adapting their systems to European standards.
The threat of generative AI and the commercial exploitation of minors
The European Parliament report does not limit itself to traditional social media, but also devotes significant space to the risks of generative artificial intelligence and companion chatbots . MEPs mention the rise of applications capable of creating manipulated images without consent, including scenes of nudity involving minors, through the use of deepfakes.
The European Parliament is calling for urgent measures to address these tools , noting that cases have already been detected where they are being used to produce sexualized material of minors, replacing faces or bodies without consent. Added to this is the fear that AI conversational agents will end up replacing some real social interaction, with documented cases of young people who, after lengthy conversations with AI systems, have developed self-harming or violent behaviors.
Another open front is the commercial exploitation of minors online . Members of the European Parliament are focusing on so-called "kidfluencers ," children who generate sponsored content and can become a source of income for third parties. Parliament is calling for a ban on platforms offering financial incentives that encourage this type of activity when it involves minors.
These concerns are part of a broader reflection on how the attention economy and personalized advertising rely on data and the emotional vulnerability of young people. European lawmakers are therefore seeking a shift in focus, one in which child protection takes precedence over engagement metrics and advertising revenue.
In this context, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and other EU leaders have cited Australia as an example of regulatory tightening , following the approval of a law that requires preventing access to social networks for children under 16 under threat of heavy fines, and which serves as a reference for ongoing discussions in the EU.
Spain and other European countries are aligning themselves with the new trend
While Brussels debates the common framework, several European countries are already taking steps in the same direction. In the case of Spain, the government has promoted a law to protect children in the digital environment which, among other measures, also plans to raise the age to 16 for creating a social media profile.
This Spanish legislation includes a broader package of actions: requiring technological devices to come from the factory with parental control systems , establishing virtual restraining orders against online bullies, and punishing the creation and dissemination of sexual images of minors generated with artificial intelligence with prison sentences of up to two years.
The government has called for broad parliamentary consensus to pass this law, and has also demanded a clear commitment from major technology companies to actively collaborate in reducing the risks arising from the misuse of networks and other digital services by young people and teenagers.
Beyond Spain, the debate on the age limit for accessing social networks has intensified in countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Belgium or the Netherlands, each with its own approaches but with a common denominator: more controls, more verification and less room for unrestricted access for minors.
Meanwhile, surveys and studies show that an overwhelming majority of European citizens support the adoption of strong measures to protect children online, especially given the negative impact of social media on mental health, the rise in cyberbullying, and the lack of effective filters to block content inappropriate for their age.
Everything suggests that the proposal to set the minimum age for social media in the EU at 16 , accompanied by a series of restrictions on addictive design and age verification requirements, will shape European digital policies in the coming years. Although it is currently a non-binding resolution, the message is clear: platforms wishing to operate in Europe will have to redesign their relationship with minors, and member states, including Spain, are already preparing to translate these guidelines into concrete laws and much stricter controls than those currently in place.
