The Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee of the European Parliament has adopted a report calling for stronger measures to protect minors online. The report was passed with 32 votes in favor, 5 against, and 9 abstentions. It raises concerns about the lack of adequate safeguards for minors on major online platforms and highlights risks related to addiction, mental health, and exposure to illegal or harmful content.
The report backs the European Commission’s work on privacy-focused age assurance systems but emphasizes that these should not compromise children’s rights or privacy. It proposes a digital minimum age of 16 for access to social media, video sharing platforms, and AI companions unless parental consent is provided, and sets a minimum age of 13 for any social media use.
MEPs urge the Commission to fully use its powers under the Digital Services Act (DSA), which could include fines or banning non-compliant sites that put minors at risk. They also recommend considering personal liability for senior management in cases of repeated breaches of minor protection rules, especially regarding age verification.
Other proposed measures include banning engagement-based recommender algorithms for minors, disabling addictive design features by default, and ensuring that recommender systems do not profile minors to suggest content. The report calls for banning gambling-like mechanisms such as “loot boxes” in games accessible to minors and stopping platforms from offering financial incentives to minors acting as influencers. It also addresses ethical and legal issues arising from AI-powered apps that can generate manipulated images without consent and urges strict enforcement of rules against manipulative chatbots.
MEPs support tackling persuasive technologies—such as targeted ads, influencer marketing, addictive design, loot boxes, and dark patterns—under the future Digital Fairness Act. They call for EU action against manipulative features like infinite scrolling, autoplay, disappearing stories, and harmful gamification practices aimed at increasing minors’ engagement and spending.
Rapporteur Christel Schaldemose (S&D, Denmark) stated: “Our report clearly states the need for increased protection of minors online in two respects. Firstly, we need a higher bar for access to social media, which is why we propose an EU-wide minimum age of 16. Secondly, we need stronger safeguards for minors using online services. My report calls for mandatory safety-by-design and for a ban on the most harmful engagement mechanisms for minors. I’m proud that Parliament is taking this progressive step to raise the level of protection for minors.”
A new Eurobarometer survey released today shows changes in how young people use social media compared to previous generations, with increased reliance on digital sources and different patterns of information consumption.
The European Parliament is scheduled to vote on these recommendations during its plenary session from November 24 to 27.
