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EU chief proposes social media ban for
kids under 13
[September 16, 2026]
By SAM McNEIL and KELVIN CHAN
BRUSSELS
(AP) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed
banning children under 13 from accessing social media, online games and
chatbots on Wednesday during her annual State of the European Union
speech in Strasbourg.
“I am aware that many perceive the power of Big Tech as overwhelming and
impossible to roll back. I disagree,” said the EU executive. |
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers a speech at
the annual State of the European Union at the European Parliament in
Strasbourg, eastern France, Wednesday, Sept 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Pascal
Bastien) |
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“We
do not have to accept addictive features. We do not have to
accept children being drawn into ever more extreme content. We
do not have to accept that girls have their photos used for
AI-generated sexualized images,” she said.
Von der Leyen said that under her proposal “mini accounts”
chaperoned by guardians would be granted to kids aged 13-15.
The EU’s 27 member nations will now vote on the proposal, which
could spark tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has
long criticized Europe’s tech regulations.
Von der Leyen used her speech to advance a plan that she
foreshadowed earlier this year, when she said kids should be
exposed to social media in a “phased and gradual” way.
The commission’s proposal is part of a wider ongoing debate
playing out worldwide on how to protect young people online.
In the United States, social media company Meta Platforms last
month agreed to pay up to $18 billion and add stronger
child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms to
resolve a trial over teen social media addiction and settle
claims filed by nearly every state.
Meanwhile, individual countries in Europe and in other places
like Australia and New Zealand have taken their own steps to ban
teens from social media platforms. But some of those efforts
have run into roadblocks. France’s top court last month struck
down a law banning children under 15 from social media, saying
it infringed on fundamental freedoms. French President Emmanuel
Macron vowed to rework the proposal.
Manfred Weber, the head of the largest group in the European
Parliament, spoke after von der Leyen to propose that the EU
follow Australia's lead in allowing citizens to switch off
social media algorithms.
“Elon Musk will not like it, but probably that is a reason for
doing it,” he said.
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This story has been edited to correct the spelling of Manfred
Weber's name.
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Chan reported from London.
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