(fyiteam)The European Union is taking action soon to restrict children’s use of social media. Countries like Greece, France, and Spain aim to establish an age of “digital adulthood,” below which parental consent will be required for children to access social media.
Several countries worldwide have already implemented similar measures, making the issue of social media use by minors a priority on their political agendas.
(fyiteam)In November, Australia became a “case study” by passing a law that bans access to social media for individuals under the age of 16. It is one of the strictest measures in the world aimed at protecting young people online.
Platforms such as X, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, according to the bill, are required to take action within a year to limit social media use by minors, or face fines of up to €30.7 million.
(fyiteam)In 2023, France passed measures to prevent children under 15 from accessing social media without parental consent (the measure has not been fully implemented yet), while Spain recently approved raising the minimum age limit from 14 to 16 for use without parental consent.
In Italy, parental consent is required for social media use by children under 14, while in Germany, the age limit is between 13 and 16 for use with parental consent.
(fyiteam)Four out of five Italian teenagers use social media, with 10% showing “problematic use,” according to the Higher Health Institute. In Norway, where the age limit is 13, 58% of 10-year-olds and 72% of 11-year-olds have social media accounts.
In Germany, however, with a more moderate approach to social media use, the usage rate is relatively low compared to other countries (79% of those under 40 use social media, compared to 90% in France).
As part of its “fight against juvenile delinquency,” the Greek government introduced the Kids Wallet app, which will digitally verify the child’s age using their parents’ TaxisNet credentials in cases where parental consent is required online.
For social media use by minors, the age limit is set at 15 years.
(fyiteam)Platforms like TikTok and Facebook set the age limit for use at 13 and above. However, experts argue that enforcement is inadequate, as official data from European countries show a significant number of children under 13 using social media.
For example, research in the United Kingdom found that 60% of children aged 8 to 11 had at least one social media account, often with a false age.
(fyiteam)Online grooming, addiction, anxiety, depression, cyberbullying, identity theft, and misinformation are some of the risks associated with minors’ exposure to social media.
However, it remains unclear in many studies whether the time spent on social media is the direct cause of these issues, or if it is the time taken away from other activities (exercise, sleep).
Recent research, however, shows that 70% of people feel worse about themselves after spending excessive time on social media.
