The European Union (EU) is planning to crack down on social media with age restrictions and plans to ban addictive features in an effort to protect children from aspects of the platforms.
European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen addressed this issue in Copenhagen, openly suggesting age restrictions should be considered before children use platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, or X.
"The more they (children) are exposed to the digital world, the greater the risks. Likes, shares, retweets, links, etcetera – social media validations are increasingly dictating how they think and feel," Von der Leyen said.
"We all know the consequences: sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety, self-harm, addictive behavior, cyberbullying, grooming, exploitation, suicide," Von der Leyen said.
The official referenced the work of the EU's Special Panel of experts on Child Safety Online. Its findings have not yet been released, but she said that it was time to consider a minimum age for using social media platforms.
"I am aware that many perceive the powers of major tech corporations as overwhelming and impossible to roll back. I disagree; we do not have to accept addictive social media designs. We do not have to accept children being drawn into ever more extreme content," Von der Leyen said.
The EU also is considering the Digital Fairness Act later this year, which seeks to strengthen online consumer protection against manipulative digital practices. Von der Leyen said its passage would allow the EU to specifically "target addictive and harmful design practices" used by social media companies that suck children in and deliver them harmful content.
"In Europe, safety must be there from the start, not added as an afterthought," she said.
Over the last two years, the EU has fined U.S. based social media companies $7 billion for a variety of offenses. CNBC reported that President Trump has been fighting those fines on behalf of U.S. big tech companies.
In February 2025, the president issued a directive sanctioning retaliatory actions against such as tariffs to "combat the digital service taxes (DSTs), fines, practices, and policies that foreign governments levy on American companies."
The directive stated that President Trump would "defend American companies and innovators from overseas extortion."
U.S. social media companies have also faced court actions domestically. META faces $375 million in damages in a case brought by New Mexico. A jury in the case found that the company knowingly harmed the mental health of children through its products such as Facebook and Instagram.
In March, a woman won a judgement against Meta and YouTube after filing a lawsuit in Los Angeles. The woman said that using YouTube and Instagram from a young age contributed to mental health problems, including depression, body dysmorphia and suicidal thoughts, CBS News reported.
