Image: Envato
The move comes after years of rising concern about how online environments affect young people’s mental health, attention, and behavior.
The European Parliament wants to hit pause on kids’ scrolling — and it’s pushing for a Europe-wide age limit to make that happen.
Lawmakers in the European Parliament have voted overwhelmingly to call for stricter rules that would stop children under 16 from accessing social media, video-sharing platforms, and AI chatbots. The non-binding report passed with 483 votes in favour, 92 against, and 86 abstentions, according to the Parliament.
The move comes after years of rising concern about how online environments affect young people’s mental health, attention, and behavior. The Parliament said it holds “deep concern over the physical and mental health risks minors face online and calling for stronger protection against the manipulative strategies that can increase addiction and that are detrimental to children’s ability to concentrate and engage healthily with online content.”
Under the proposal, teenagers aged 13 to 16 would only be allowed to sign up with parental approval.
The resolution highlights growing evidence that minors are struggling with digital overload. Research cited by lawmakers shows that one in four minors displays “problematic” smartphone habits that mirror addiction.
MEPs say these patterns are being fueled by platform features designed to keep users hooked, including auto-playing videos, endless feeds, and personalized recommendations. Their call for action includes banning the most harmful addictive designs and disabling other addictive features by default for minors.
They also want tougher measures to crack down on manipulative technologies such as targeted ads, influencer marketing, and dark patterns. In addition, lawmakers are pushing for the removal of loot boxes and other randomised gaming features that can encourage compulsive behaviour among young users.
“We are finally drawing a line. We are saying clearly to platforms: your services are not designed for children. And the experiment ends here,” said Danish MEP Christel Schaldemose.
The vote has sparked political debate across Europe. Some lawmakers argue that decisions about children’s online access should be made at the national level. Others see the push as part of a bigger struggle between the EU and global tech companies, especially as Washington has been pressing Brussels to ease digital rules in exchange for better trade terms.
Meanwhile, some tech-industry defenders claim the EU is overreaching. As Euronews noted, supporters of “radical free speech,” such as Elon Musk, believe authorities are trying to limit alternative voices by tightening regulations.
Although the Parliament’s vote does not create new laws, it increases pressure on the European Commission to propose binding rules. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has already shown interest in following global developments.
In her State of the Union speech, she cited Australia’s upcoming nationwide ban for under-16s, saying, “I am watching the implementation of their policy closely to see what next steps we can take here in Europe. I will commission a panel of experts to advise me by the end of this year on the best approach for Europe.”
She added that the Commission would “approach this carefully and listen to everyone” and emphasized the need “to empower parents and build a safer Europe for our children.”
MEPs also strongly supported the Commission’s work to develop a bloc-wide age verification app and the European Digital Identity (eID) wallet. Crucially, they emphasized that while these new tools must be accurate and protect a minor’s privacy, they do not relieve platforms of their duty to design products that are safe and age-appropriate from the start.
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Aminu Abdullahi is a B2C and B2B technology and finance writer with more than six years of experience covering enterprise IT, cybersecurity, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, fintech, business software, and emerging technologies. His work has appeared in publications including TechRepublic, eWEEK, Channel Insider, Geekflare, Enterprise Networking Planet, eSecurity Planet, CIO Insight, and Webopedia. With a technical background in computer science, he specializes in translating complex technology topics into clear, accessible content for business leaders and decision-makers.
