According to Neowin, the European Parliament just voted to restrict social media access for children under 16 across the EU, requiring parental consent for younger users. The measure passed with 483 members supporting it, while 92 voted against and 86 abstained. The proposal specifically targets platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube over mental health concerns, and would hold tech CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk personally liable if their platforms violate child protection rules. This comes after reports that Meta allegedly covered up research showing people’s mental health improved within just one week of deleting their apps. The Hungarian center-right politician Dóra Dávid pushed for the CEO liability provision, while Danish social democrat Christel Schaldemose led the overall report.
Europe’s Tough Stance
This isn’t Europe’s first rodeo when it comes to tech regulation. We’ve already seen the GDPR and the Digital Markets Act. But holding CEOs personally liable? That’s a whole new level of accountability. Basically, European lawmakers are tired of what they see as empty promises from tech giants. And given that the proposal gained such strong support, it’s clear there’s serious political will behind these child protection measures.
The Mental Health Angle
Here’s the thing: the mental health argument is gaining real traction. When internal research from the platforms themselves suggests people feel better after quitting, how can companies credibly argue their products are harmless? The timing of this vote, right after the Meta research revelations, feels intentional. It’s like lawmakers are saying “We’ve seen your own data, now we’re acting on it.”
Implementation Challenges
But let’s be real—enforcing age restrictions online is notoriously difficult. How exactly do you verify someone’s age without creating massive privacy headaches? And what about the right-wing opposition that argued this infringes on national competencies? There’s going to be a messy implementation phase ahead. Still, the fact that this is happening at the EU level means it could set a template that other regions follow.
Bigger Picture
We’re seeing a global trend here. Australia’s going even further with an outright ban, and now Europe’s pushing hard restrictions. The social media companies are facing their most serious regulatory threats yet. And honestly? If the internal research is accurate about mental health improvements, maybe these restrictions aren’t such a bad idea. The question is whether they’ll actually work in practice or just drive kids to find workarounds.
