EU prepares new guidelines to limit the impact of social media on children

Hence the demand, articulated in several points, for, among other things, the prohibition of addictive features such as advanced infinite scrolling and autoplay, and the elimination of video game mechanisms that push you to spend money to progress (pay-to-progress).

Stop persuasive advertising, manipulative recommendation systems and the exploitation of small influencers. Maximum alert also on generative Ai: ambiguous chatbots and the creation of false images without consent (deepfakes) should be blocked. In short: less attention-grabbing algorithms and more protection for children's mental health.

A further boost will come by the fourth quarter of 2026 from the legislative initiative in the Commission's work programme called the Digital Fairness Act.

The objective of the intervention will be to address several problems that consumers encounter online, such as deceptive practices (dark patterns), influencer marketing on social media, addictive digital product design and unfair personalisation practices, especially when consumer vulnerabilities are exploited for commercial purposes.

On the other hand, according to the Eurobarometer report 'State of the Digital Decade 2025', nine out of ten Europeans say there is an urgent need for public authorities to intervene to protect children from the negative impact of social media on their mental health (93%), from cyberbullying and online harassment (92%) and to ensure mechanisms to restrict age-inappropriate content (92%).

The issue of age remains central. A key aspect of online child protection is indeed the age at which minors can consent to the processing of their personal data and access social media platforms. As can be seen in the chart on the page (left), the minimum age of consent varies from one EU Member State to another. At European level, the GDPR requires parental consent for the processing of children's personal data on social media up to the age of 16. However, Member States may lower this threshold to 13 years.

A picture as articulate as the scientific literature cited in the report 'Protecting children online Selected EU, national and regional laws and initiatives' by the European Parliamentary Research Service. "Researchers' opinions diverge on the idea of fixing most digital to a specific age," it reads.

"In his 2024 book The Anxious Generation, US social psychologist Jonathan Haidt recommends waiting until adolescence is well underway (around 14-16 years) before introducing smartphones and social media, as younger children are more susceptible to negative impacts.

On the contrary, in an article from 2025, S. Livingstone and KR Sylwander argue that it is difficult to establish a specific age, as individual maturity varies from child to child'.

The report also analyses how the smartphone ban at school is also at the centre of the debate in many member states. Greece, France, Italia, Latvia, Hungary, the Netherlands and Portugal have decided at national level to ban mobile phones in schools. In France, the ban also extends to off-site school activities.

Unesco has recommended such a ban, except when the devices are used for educational purposes.

In Germany and Spain, the decision was delegated to the individual federal states or autonomous regions. In Belgium, the Flemish and Walloon communities have also opted for a ban. In addition, the sale of telephones designed specifically for children under seven years of age is prohibited in Belgium and advertising aimed at this age group is prohibited.

Finally, some states have banned specific applications for privacy reasons (such as Denmark with Google Chromebook and Workspace in 2022), while others have launched initiatives to reduce dependency, such as the 'NoPhoneChallenge' in the countries.