It is necessary to introduce «a harmonized EU-wide access restriction to social media and other digital services, including AI-based virtual assistants, for children under 13 years old».
Read more There are limits to the use of images recorded by street cameras
Towards a legislative proposal
This is the conclusion reached by the online safety panel for minors established by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who announced a legislative proposal “after the summer,” following discussion within the college of commissioners.
Von der Leyen described the approach of the expert panel, led by Joerg Fegert (child psychiatrist and psychotherapist, professor at the University of Ulm, Bavaria) and Maria Melchior (Research Director at Inserm in Paris), as “very convincing.”
It can be expected that the proposal the Commission will present on the matter after the summer break will be inspired by the report’s conclusions. For the experts, “a harmonized access restriction would facilitate the implementation of age verification criteria that are proportionate and respectful of rights, and would encourage security-by-design requirements for social media providers and other digital services.”
Read more Paper identity card, let’s clarify the extension: what it can be used for after August 3rd
What the report says
According to the report, “below 13 years old, children should have time-limited access to social media plus environments (i.e., social and similar, ed) appropriate to their age only with parental authorization and supervision or in educational settings. From 13 years old and above, adolescents should benefit from autonomous and continuously evolving use of safe and age-appropriate social media and other digital services.”
Harmonized rules on a minimum age of 13 at the EU level, the experts note, “would contribute to the proper functioning of the single market, ensuring a single compliance framework for providers. Harmonized rules would facilitate enforcement and supervision by regulatory authorities both at national and EU levels. They would also guarantee an equal level of protection for all minors online in the EU, regardless of socioeconomic, cultural, and national context.”
Read more Actor Sam Neill, the star of Jurassic Park, has died