The European Commission has proposed new rules to enhance the protection of children and young people on the Internet by prohibiting access to social media by children under 13 and requiring supervised accounts up to the age of 15.
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17/09/2026
by
Lusa
“ ANDwe are adopting a gradual and differentiated approach. Each age has its own vulnerabilities and therefore each group will have its level of protection adapted, so we propose: without social networks before the age of 13 and without personal accounts before the age of 15,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
In press statements outside the plenary session of the European Parliament in the French city of Strasbourg, the person responsible explained that “this means that between the age of 13 and the time when the child is 15, only mini-accounts created and supervised by parents or guardians with limited functionalities and a limit of use of up to one hour a day will be allowed”.
“ Then, between the age of 15 and 18, security from design will be an obligation for platforms,” he added.
Accusing platforms of treating “too permissively the mental health” of children, Ursula von der Leyen warned that “establishing an age limit does not mean leaving technology companies without responsibility for content”, forcing them to act against toxic and addictive functionalities and other risks to minors.
This is a new European Law for the Protection of Children Online, which then establishes a gradual approach to access for minors to digital services and provides that adolescents between the ages of 13 and 15 can use social networks through “mini-accounts” created and supervised by parents or guardians.