Ursula von der Leyen on Children's Online Safety and Social Media Age Laws

Praising Australia's Leadership

• 👏 Ursula von der Leyen commended Australia's landmark minimum age law for social media, viewing it as a bold decision and an example for other countries.
• 💡 Europe is closely watching and learning from Australia's implementation of its "world first and world-leading social media ban."

The Urgent Need for Online Safety

• 📈 Children aged 9 to 15 in the EU have more than doubled their screen time on social media in 15 years.
• ⚠️ Social media apps are designed to attract and addict children through manipulative algorithms, ultimately geared towards company profits.
• 🚨 Parents face daily risks including cyberbullying, encouragement of self-harm, online predators, and addictive algorithms.

European Efforts and Initiatives

• 🇪🇺 The EU is actively working on requiring effective age verification to ensure children can be "just kids" online.
• 🧪 A prototype for an age verification method has been released and is being tested by five member states: France, Spain, Greece, Denmark, and Italy.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Many member states, including von der Leyen herself, believe the time has come for a digital majority age for social media access.

A Call for Collective Action

• 🤝 A panel of experts will be established to assess appropriate steps at the European level, involving parents, teachers, scientists, pediatricians, and young people.
• 🌱 The goal is to clarify the relationship with technology so it serves humanity, not the other way around.
• ✅ Empowering parents with tools, like the ability to collectively say no to social media for young children, is crucial for equipping families.