European Union to unify laws on children's social media use

On October 29, the European Union (EU) decided to postpone by 12 months the discussion of member states' national bill drafts regarding children's social media use. This move aims to prevent discrepancies among member states and divisions within the bloc by establishing a common legislation.

Last month, the European Commission proposed banning social media use for children under 13, and allowing only limited and supervised use for those up to the age of 15. According to EU regulations, member states are required to notify the European Commission of proposed legislation in order to comply with the bloc's common law.

EU spokesperson Thomas Regnier emphasized that the bloc must first focus on EU Children's Act negotiations and effective implementation, while stating they hope the European Commission and the European Parliament will reach an agreement on new regulations in the coming months.

This decision also blocked Austria's plan to ban social media use for children under 14. Austrian Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler stated that protecting children cannot be delayed, called on the EU to reach a swift agreement on joint regulations, and noted that the ban could be implemented as soon as the 12-month delay expires.