European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today backed calls for a minimum age for social media access, Politico reported.
Many European Union countries "believe that the time has come for an 'era of a digital minimum age' for access to social media." And I have to tell you, as a mother of seven and a grandmother of five, I share their view,” she said at an event at the UN General Assembly in New York.
In recent months, EU countries such as Greece, France and Denmark have been pushing for a minimum age, claiming that social media is causing harm to minors.
But exactly how this will be implemented is the subject of heated debate among politicians.
The issue has drawn increased attention worldwide after Australia introduced a minimum age of 16 for registering accounts on certain social media sites, effective later this year.
Speaking alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, von der Leyen confirmed plans for an EU expert committee to “assess what steps make sense at European level.”