EU will seek to limit children's access to social media

The European Commission will present a proposal to limit children's access to social media platforms after the summer, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said.

Ms von der Leyen said there needs to be "age-appropriate restrictions" for digital platforms including social media, as she received an expert report on protecting children online.

"This is not about whether children can access social media. It is about whether and when social media can access our children," she said, later adding: "We need to consider a phased and gradual access for different age ranges."

"Our children need time in the real world. Time to play, time to build friendships, time to make mistakes. Time to shape their own identity, their own personality, before an algorithm shapes them instead."

The Irish Government has expressed support for social media restrictions for children but has repeatedly said its preference would be for any ban to be implemented at EU level.

Australia introduced the world's first social media ban for under-16s in December last year.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said last month that he was keen to make sure the ban was as strong as possible, after a new study found that the measure had had little impact on teen use.

France, Austria and Slovenia are among EU countries to have introduced or prepared legislation towards age-based restrictions while the UK announced last month that children under age 16 will be banned from social media from early next year.