EU Delays National Social Media Bans

The European Union has moved to delay new national laws restricting children’s access to social media until a bloc-wide framework is agreed, rejecting Austria’s proposed ban on users under 14.

European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said on Thursday that the bloc had postponed consideration of national draft laws that overlap with its planned common rules for 12 months.

“The commission has decided to postpone for 12 months any draft national laws overlapping with the future harmonised rules,” EU spokesman Thomas Regnier said.

Under EU procedures, member states must notify the European Commission of proposed legislation to ensure it complies with bloc-wide laws.

The Commission proposed new social media restrictions last month that would bar children under 13 from using the platforms and allow only limited, supervised access for those below 15.

Brussels argues that separate national restrictions could create different age limits across member states and undermine efforts to establish a common standard.

It is also concerned that countries with their own laws might have less incentive to agree on bloc-wide legislation.

Regnier said the focus should now be on negotiations over the proposed EU Kids Act and ensuring existing rules are effectively enforced.

“We need to now focus on the negotiations of the EU Kids Act and to ensure an effective enforcement of our rules,” Regnier said.

The Commission hopes EU member states and the European Parliament will reach an agreement on the legislation in the coming months.

Austria had pushed for a swift agreement, with the government saying its proposed restrictions would take effect immediately once the one-year delay expired.

Reacting to the Commission’s decision, Austrian Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler said he could not understand why the EU had suspended the proposal.

He argued that protecting children from the daily harm caused by social media companies was an urgent matter that should not be deferred.

However, the Commission’s decision may not affect all national proposals equally.

France has been asked to revise its proposed legislation, but its law is not expected to face the same suspension because Paris notified Brussels before the EU-wide proposal was introduced.

Greece has also enacted its own restrictions, which were drafted well before September.

Regnier declined to say whether France would ultimately be allowed to implement its national law.

The Commission has yet to issue decisions on proposed social media restrictions in other member states, including Italy and Slovakia.