Members of the European Parliament called for stronger steps to protect minors in the digital space. Among the proposed measures is setting a single minimum age of 16 to use social networks. TASR reports this, citing a statement from the European Parliament.
The initiative was supported by 483 MEPs, 92 voted against, and 86 abstained. The European Parliament document emphasizes the serious threats to children's physical and mental health they face online. It also proposes strengthening protection against manipulative methods that can cause addiction or negatively affect concentration. This is not a law, but only an official position and recommendation of the European Parliament.
The European Parliament supports a unified minimum age of 16 for access not only to social networks but also to video platforms and AI chatbots. Children between 13 and 16 years old should only be granted access with parental consent. MEPs also supported the European Commission's initiative to create age verification tools, emphasizing that such systems must be reliable while also ensuring the privacy of minors. It was also specifically stressed that even effective age verification does not remove the responsibility of platforms for the safe and age-appropriate design of their services.
According to a 2025 Eurobarometer survey, over 90% of Europeans consider child protection measures in the online environment urgently necessary. The biggest concerns are the negative impact of social networks on mental health (93%), cyberbullying (92%), and the need for effective mechanisms to restrict access to age-inappropriate content (92%).
