Brussels Edges Toward EU-Wide Social Media Ban for Minors as von der Leyen Eyes Summer Proposal

The European Union is moving closer to one of its most consequential digital interventions: a possible bloc-wide minimum age for social media. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has signalled a proposal could come as early as this summer, following the recommendations of an expert panel — a move that would put Brussels alongside Australia at the frontier of online child-protection policy.

Von der Leyen’s signal

Speaking at a European summit on artificial intelligence and children in Copenhagen, von der Leyen said the bloc could propose a social media ban for children potentially as soon as July, framing the stakes around childhood with the appeal: „Let us give childhood back to children.” She has argued the debate over a minimum age can no longer be ignored.

The age-verification app

Central to the plan is an EU age-verification app, described as technically ready, that would let users prove they are above a given age without handing personal data to platforms. The Commission has recommended it to member states, though several governments and cybersecurity experts have flagged technical vulnerabilities and privacy trade-offs.

Member states out in front

France, Spain, Greece and Denmark have led the push. Spain has proposed barring under-16s; France has advanced legislation restricting under-15s from September; Greece plans to bar under-15s next year; and Denmark is moving to ban under-15s. The European Parliament has backed a non-binding resolution favouring a default minimum age of 16 for social media, video-sharing platforms and AI companions, with parental consent for those aged 13 to 16.

Enforcement is already biting

The political momentum builds on active enforcement under the Digital Services Act. The Commission preliminarily found Meta’s Instagram and Facebook in breach in April 2026 for failing to keep under-13s off the platforms, and opened an investigation into Snapchat in March over similar concerns. Both cases underline regulators’ view that self-declared age checks are inadequate.

What comes next

A summer proposal would open months of negotiation among member states with sharply differing views on privacy, enforcement and the appropriate age threshold. For platforms and the wider digital economy, the direction of travel is now unmistakable — even if the precise rules, and how they would be policed across 27 countries, remain to be settled.