According to Reuters report dated July 13th local time, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the EU would take action to restrict children's use of social media in 27 member countries. The report states that this will be the largest such measure taken so far to prevent online risks.
Feng Delean published a report written by two experts, which suggests a hierarchical approach to management: children under 13 can only use social media under the supervision of their parents, guardians, or teachers for limited periods of time; as teenagers grow older, these restrictions will gradually be relaxed.
Evidently, we need to implement age restrictions on the platform,” Feng Deliang said to reporters in Brussels. “The issue is no longer whether children are facing internet risks but rather what we can do to give children a safer starting point within the digital world.”
Fra De Rien said that she is likely to adopt the experts' advice, and the European Commission will propose a detailed plan after the summer of this year. It is reported that she is expected to announce this plan during her speech on EU affairs in September this year.
According to Reuters, countries including Australia, the UK, India, and the United States have implemented or are considering imposing social media bans. These bans mainly target TikTok, YouTube under Alphabet, Instagram and Facebook under Meta.
The aforementioned company did not respond immediately to the request for comments. The social media platforms stated that they have taken measures to protect young users, and many platforms already implement age restrictions.
We first need to consider what types of platforms might cause harm to our children. Evidence shows this mainly involves social media platforms, but also includes other platforms with inappropriate content and addictive features. Therefore, it can be understood as "social media and similar platforms." Feng De'lai said.
Once this category is clearly defined, I believe we need to consider different age groups and gradually open access permissions in stages. She added.
