EU plans age checks on social media while France pushes a ban for under-15s

BRUSSELS (CN) — The European Commission unveiled plans Wednesday for a unified age verification system across the 27-nation bloc, with a pilot program set to launch by July 2025, rejecting French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for an EU-wide social media ban for children under 15.

A commission spokesman delivered the announcement during a news briefing when asked by journalists about France’s proposal, positioning the age verification tool as the EU’s preferred approach to protecting minors online rather than outright access restrictions.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced the proposed under-15 ban Tuesday during a televised interview following the fatal stabbing of a 31-year-old teaching assistant outside a school in Nogent, northeastern France, apparently by a 14-year-old student.

Macron said France “can’t wait” any longer to ban social media for children under 15, urging other EU nations to follow suit during a special France 2 broadcast.

“I am proposing banning social media for children under 15,” President Emmanuel Macron said on X. “Platforms have the ability to verify age. Let’s do it.”

The French president provided no details on implementation or enforcement.

The government also said Wednesday it would issue a ban on knife sales to minors within the next two weeks.

Backed by France and Spain, Greece has spearheaded a proposal for how the EU should limit children’s use of online platforms as evidence shows that social media can have negative effects on children’s mental and physical health.

Rather than supporting outright bans, though, the commission pointed to existing regulations under the Digital Services Act, EU legislation that requires major social media platforms to assess risks to minors and implement protective measures. The proposed age verification system would complement these rules when fully deployed in 2026.

The commission cited Article 8 of the bloc’s General Data Protection Regulation, which gives individual member states authority over such decisions, effectively blocking EU-wide legislation restricting minors’ social media access.

France’s proposal reflects growing European concern over children’s online safety. Six EU countries — Cyprus, Denmark, France, Greece, Slovenia and Spain — submitted a joint policy paper following a June 6 meeting of EU technology ministers calling for a “pan-European digital age of majority” and mandatory age verification on all internet-connected devices sold in Europe.

The coalition argued that current protections, including GDPR data safeguards and Digital Services Act requirements, don’t address what they called an “intergenerational responsibility” crisis. Their proposal targets “addictive designs” — features like auto-play, pop-ups and algorithmic content recommendations designed to capture children’s attention.

The comprehensive framework would require built-in age verification and parental controls on all devices, elimination of addictive design features for minors, enhanced digital literacy programs and stronger anti-disinformation tools.

Current EU child protection measures include GDPR’s enhanced data safeguards for minors, the Digital Services Act’s ban on targeted advertising to children, and the Better Internet for Kids Strategy. However, coalition members say these are difficult to enforce effectively.

The debate over children’s online safety has intensified following Tuesday’s school attack in France, a country that ranks 86th globally on the 2024 Global Peace Index — near the bottom among EU nations for safety metrics. The nation has struggled to contain knife crime among young people.

The commission’s age verification system aims to streamline digital protections across the EU while respecting national regulatory authority, offering a technical solution that member states can adopt voluntarily rather than by mandate.