EU moves to ban under-13s from social media

The European Union is moving to ban social media for children under 13 and restrict access for older teenagers, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced during her state of the union address in Strasbourg, according to CNN. Under the plan, 13- and 14-year-olds could hold supervised “mini accounts” limited to one hour daily.

The Commission will propose a new Kids Act on Thursday, shifting the burden of proof onto platforms to demonstrate they are safe for minors. The move follows Australia’s under-16 ban and individual EU states’ efforts, including France’s court-struck ban. Von der Leyen also addressed AI risks, citing potential large-scale hacking threats.