4 publishers · first seen Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:29 UTC · updated Thu, 29 Oct 2026 14:33 UTC
The European Commission has postponed for 12 months any draft national laws that restrict children's access to social media, pending the adoption of EU-wide rules. This move blocks Austria's proposed ban on social media for children under 14, as the EU seeks to prevent divergent national regulations. The Commission last month proposed the EU Kids Act, which would ban children under 13 from social media and allow only supervised access until age 15.
Some countries, including France and Greece, had notified Brussels of their plans before the EU proposal and may proceed, while others like Italy and Slovakia are still under review. The Commission argues that common rules are needed to avoid fragmentation and ensure effective enforcement across the bloc. Austria has criticized the decision, saying Brussels has not yet delivered its own final solution.
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