European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed banning children under 13 from accessing social media, online games and AI chatbots.
The plan was unveiled during her annual State of the European Union speech in Strasbourg on Wednesday.
“I am aware that many perceive the power of Big Tech as overwhelming and impossible to roll back. I disagree,” von der Leyen said.
“We do not have to accept addictive features. We do not have to accept children being drawn into ever more extreme content. We do not have to accept that girls have their photos used for AI-generated sexualized images.”
Guardian-supervised accounts for teens
Under the proposal, children aged 13 to 15 would be granted “mini accounts” chaperoned by a guardian, rather than being barred outright.
The plan builds on remarks von der Leyen made earlier this year, when she said children should be exposed to social media in a “phased and gradual” way.
The EU’s 27 member states will now vote on the proposal.
The plan could create friction with US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticized Europe’s tech regulations.
Part of a broader global debate
The proposal adds to an ongoing worldwide debate over protecting young people online.
In the US, Meta Platforms agreed last month to pay up to $18 billion and add stronger child-safety measures to Facebook and Instagram, settling a trial over teen social media addiction and claims filed by nearly every US state.
Other countries have already moved on their own.
Australia and New Zealand have introduced bans restricting teenagers from social media platforms.
But similar efforts have faced legal setbacks elsewhere: France’s top court struck down a law last month that would have banned children under 15 from social media, ruling that it infringed on fundamental freedoms.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said he will rework the proposal.
Manfred Weber, head of the largest group in the European Parliament, spoke after von der Leyen and proposed that the EU go further by letting citizens switch off social media algorithms entirely, following Australia’s approach.
“Elon Musk will not like it, but probably that is a reason for doing it,” Weber said.
Why it matters for markets
The proposal, if adopted by member states, would mark one of the most significant regulatory moves yet targeting how social media and AI chatbot platforms operate in Europe, a market of roughly 450 million people.
Companies including Meta, Alphabet’s Google, TikTok owner ByteDance, and AI chatbot developers such as OpenAI and Character.AI could all face new compliance requirements if the ban and mini-account system move forward.
The plan also raises the prospect of renewed trade tension between Brussels and Washington, given Trump’s past criticism of EU tech rules, at a time when US and European regulators are already at odds over several other digital policy fronts.
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