BRUSSELS — The European Commission is “leaving all doors open” to shield children from the harmful effects of social media platforms including age restrictions at the EU level, spokesperson Thomas Regnier told reporters today.
“We are already frontrunners when it comes to the protection of our kids online,” Regnier said, citing the EU’s landmark content-moderation rulebook the Digital Services Act. “But today, the reality is constantly evolving, constantly changing … If we need to go a step further to protect our kids, then why not?”
His comment followed Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s backing of a “digital majority age” at an event in New York on Wednesday. She had previously announced she would bring together a panel of experts by the end of the year to study options for action.
Regnier took aim at specific platforms in his remarks, stating that for example in Germany, “TikTok is used by half of children between 6 and 13 … That’s even below the legal threshold established by TikTok in their terms and conditions.”
Paolo Ganino, head of policy communications for TikTok in Europe, said in response that the site removes “around 6 million underage accounts globally each month” as part of a “broader trust and safety programme … designed to support the safety and well-being of teens and families.”
Amid vocal concerns from the U.S. government and tech companies about the implications of the EU’s content rules on civil liberties and free speech, Regnier said: “We will not, as a public institution, decide what social media our citizens can use. This is not our role. We take the problem the other way around. We want companies to follow our rules to make sure our citizens can use it in a safe way.”
Regnier stressed the Digital Services Act “is not the legal basis that will allow us to set the minimum age.”
European governments have increasingly been rallying behind strongly enforcing age limits on social media, whether pushing for national action or backing a bloc-wide crackdown.
This story has been updated with a response from TikTok.
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