EU nations seek mandatory social media age checks – Bloomberg

France, Spain, and Greece are advocating for mandatory age verification on social media platforms such as Meta’s Facebook and Elon Musk’s X, Bloomberg reported on Friday.

The proposed rules would require all internet-connected devices to be equipped with age verification technology. Digital services ministers from the three EU member states are coordinating the initiative ahead of a meeting with their counterparts from the bloc on June 6, a document cited by Bloomberg said.

The three nations reportedly argue that the “lack of proper and widespread age-verification mechanisms” makes it difficult to effectively enforce age limits. They aim to leverage the economic power of the EU’s 450 million consumers to compel tech companies to implement robust verification systems, according to the report.

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed on Tuesday his support for mandatory age verification for teenagers registering on social media platforms, stating that online networks have contributed to suffering and mental health issues among young people.

“We must protect our children,” he told TF1, adding that age verification on social networks should be imposed.

According to Bloomberg, the European Commission, along with several bloc members, is already developing pilot projects to boost parental controls and age verification. However, their efforts are being hindered by regulatory differences across EU countries and the ease with which users can access social networks from outside the bloc.

“One real ID for every social network user — that’s the only way to actually guarantee minors don’t access inappropriate content,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said earlier this year.

Among the countries that have taken measures on the issue, Australia has banned social media access for users under the age of 16. In Spain, a comparable measure has been incorporated into a legislative bill, although it is awaiting parliamentary review and does not yet have a set timeline.

In Norway, the government has announced its intention to establish a minimum age of 15 for accessing social media. However, there is currently no defined timeline or concrete implementation plan in place.

Earlier this year, 200 schools in France started testing a “digital break” that prevents students up to the age of 15 from using smartphones during school hours.

In Russia, similar restrictions went into effect in September, banning students from using their cellphones in schools, except for emergency situations involving a risk to health or to life.