A panel opposes blanket social media bans, suggesting children shouldn't be held responsible for using services that weren't designed safely enough
The report advocates for EU-wide regulation rather than unilateral national measures
On 24 June 2026, the independent expert panel “Protection of Children and Youth in the Digital World” in Germany submitted its recommendations for action to Federal Minister Karin Prien. The panel highlights that Article 28(1) of the DSA, which requires online providers to ensure high levels of privacy, security, and safety for minors, does not sufficiently specify what measures are required for each service, feature, and age group. While the EC’s guidelines do set out these obligations, the degree of legal binding force has not yet been clarified. In the absence of EU-wide social media restrictions, Member States have taken matters into their own hands, with bans being considered in countries such as France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Greece. However, the panel argues that, as platforms operate across borders, unilateral national measures are insufficient. Instead, it recommends that legal requirements under the DSA should be clearly defined and that the DSA should be strengthened so that regulations can be enforced at an EU level. The EC is awaiting a similar report from an expert panel in July, which is expected to shape its future regulation for protecting children online.
The panel proposes two potential options for age-based restrictions under the DSA
In general, the panel recommends avoiding blanket bans that directly target children and young people, emphasising that this group needs protecting and should not be punished for using platforms that are unsafe. The panel also notes that minimum age limits of 15 or 16 are too high, as these could limit children’s access to information and their ability to socialise. Additionally, higher age limits are more likely to encourage circumvention or drive children to less-regulated online services. As a result, the commission suggests that, under the DSA, platform providers should be required to design their services to be age appropriate at the outset to reduce risks for children and young people. It proposed two options for this design:
A legal minimum age of 13 years would apply for independent use of personal social media, which would be linked to effective age verification. Children under 13 would need parental permission, and additional graduated protections would apply to minors between 13-16 and 16-18; and
There would be no uniform age limit, but specific services and functions would be restricted based on a risk assessment, such as personalised algorithms, live streams, and open contact features.
These suggestions reflect aspects of restrictions proposed in other countries. For example, the UK’s suggestion would involve a legal minimum age of 16, while also targeting functions such as live streaming and open contact, with additional protections for 16-18-year-olds.
The panel suggests that the EU should establish binding age-verification methods
The panel notes that there are currently no concrete or binding regulations regarding which age-assurance methods providers should use and how these should be technically implemented. Currently, platforms largely decide this for themselves, which is problematic as available methods differ considerably in terms of reliability, robustness, and privacy. The panel notes that methods that evaluate biometric features or infer age based on extensive behavioural and usage data are particularly problematic, as these pose risks to privacy and protection against discrimination. It recommends that the EU establish binding regulations specifying which age-verification methods should be used. The panel suggests that, in the case of option 1 being enforced, age verification should be carried out mainly through the EUDI wallet or technically equivalent methods. In the case of option 2 being implemented, restrictions should primarily be enforced via parental controls on end devices, allowing parents to limit access to specific content and services, as well as time spent online.
