Von der Leyen presents 4th proposal to protect children on social networks

“ Nwe don't have to accept childhoods shaped by algorithms. We don't have to accept a system that fails our children. Europe has the power to act, to give children the time they need in the real world,” said Ursula von der Leyen in a social media publication today.

In the message on the awaited regulation for the protection of children in the EU, the EU executive leader announced: “I will present in detail our proposal in my next speech on the State of the Union”.

Von der Leyen has thus indicated that he will detail the proposal during his speech on Wednesday at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg without advancing the elements of the initiative.

The President of the European Commission has been defending a European intervention to limit children's exposure to social networks and to ensure greater protection for minors in the digital environment.

In the State of the Union speech of September 2025, Ursula von der Leyen argued that it was necessary to consider age limits for access to platforms and warned of risks such as cyberbullying (internet harassment), inadequate content and algorithms designed to exploit the vulnerabilities of minors and create dependency.

“I firmly believe that the education of our children is up to parents and not an algorithm,” he said, announcing the creation of a panel of experts to advise the institution on the protection of children in the digital environment.

The panel was created in March this year and last July, the leader of the community executive defended a progressive age-related approach, including restrictions on autonomous access to social networks by children under 13 years of age and limited and supervised access in the following years.

The guardian has also argued that the protection of minors cannot depend only on parents, pointing responsibilities to their own digital platforms and the features designed to encourage the prolonged use of services.

“ Parents, not algorithms, must educate our children,” the President of the European Commission said.

Ursula von der Leyen maintained that protection should cover not only social networks but also other digital platforms and features designed to capture the attention of children.

The pressure for a common European response has now increased, with several Member States moving forward with national measures such as France and Greece.

The French President, Emmanuel Macron, this week asked Ursula von der Leyen for a European ban on social media for children under 15, a more restrictive position than the gradual approach advocated by the President of the European Commission.