Ms. von der Leyen may present a related initiative on September 16 during her annual State of the Union address. The Euractiv website reports this, citing sources.
As stated in the article, the issue of protecting minors online has become one of the top priorities of von der Leyen’s second term. A number of EU countries, including France, Spain, Germany, and Greece, are already developing their own restrictions on children’s use of social media.
In June, the Canadian government introduced a bill in parliament that would prohibit children under 16 from having social media accounts unless the platforms can prove they are safe. There are also plans to implement a system to verify users’ ages.
Australia was the first to introduce a ban on social media use by children under 16 in December 2025. In recent months, several other countries, including Turkey, have followed suit. Austria, Germany, Denmark, and Spain are considering similar measures. In the Canadian province of Manitoba, children will be completely banned from using social media and AI-powered chatbots.
