EU Freezes National Social Media Bans for Minors for One Year

The European Commission has asked EU member states to suspend national laws restricting minors' access to social media for 12 months. Brussels says it wants to avoid fragmentation of the internal market and is focusing on negotiations for the EU Kids Act.

Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said any national legislative initiative overlapping with future harmonized rules will be postponed for one year. He stressed that different ages and laws across member states would make enforcement nearly impossible.

Austria was the first country asked to freeze its legislation. Its proposed law would ban social media access for children under 14. Austria had asked the Commission in July to check whether the draft was compatible with EU law.

Austrian Deputy Interior Minister Alexander Pröll called it unacceptable for Brussels to block national laws without offering its own European solution. Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler said he was very unhappy with the delay and that Austria would keep preparing its legislation to be ready by the end of the suspension.

Greece and France are in a different legal position because they have already passed legislation introducing social media restrictions. Greece is the first EU country to implement such a ban.

Greek Minister of State Akis Skertsos said protecting children cannot wait any longer. He suggested the opposition may have time to waste, but child protection does not.

Italy had also notified the Commission of its national law, along with Slovenia, Belgium, and France. The bipartisan bill in Italy had been stalled for over a year awaiting government opinions.