The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, admitted this Tuesday to presenting a legislative proposal so that children only use social networks at an older age — and it could come into force this summer.
Von der Leyen stated, at the opening of a European Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Childrenin Copenhagen, who does not want to anticipate the conclusions of experts who are reflecting on children’s safety on the Internet.
According to , several European countries have taken the initiative to increase the minimum age for access to social networks for 15 years or 16 years or requested an assessment of the need for this measure.
“We know we have to do more and that’s why we created a special panel of experts on child online safety to advise us. I believe we should consider delaying children’s access to social media and, depending on the results, we could present a legislative proposal this summer,” said the president.
The Commission President further argued that the EU must learn from Australiaa pioneer who started using social networks at the age of 16. Despite the measure, more than continue to access these applications.
In Portugal, parliament approved a bill in February that restricts access to social networks for children under 16express parental consent is required for young people between 13 and 16 years old and prohibits use before the age of 13 to protect against digital risks and addictive content.
“Childhood and early adolescence are pivotal years, and I believe children should be given more time to develop resilience at this vulnerable stage,” said Ursula von der Leyen.
“Time to play with real friends and not to chase followers. Time on the football field or playing in a band. Time to develop their own ideas, instead of being guided by an algorithm. Time to learn the difference between reality and falsehood. So let’s give children their childhood back”, he concluded.
