EU hits pause on country-level social media bans for children

The EU believes allowing countries to move ahead with national laws would divide the bloc, creating varying age limits among member states.(AFP) — The European Union said Thursday it does not want any more national bans on social media before an EU-wide law is approved, as it blocked draft rules put forward by Austria.Under EU law, member states must notify the European Commission of proposed legislation to ensure it does not violate the bloc’s rules. Austria wanted to ban children under 14 from social media, but the EU rejected the proposal.“The commission has decided to postpone for 12 months any draft national laws overlapping with the future harmonised rules,” EU spokesman Thomas Regnier said.The European Commission last month proposed banning children under 13 from social media and permitting only limited, supervised access until age 15.The EU believes allowing countries to move ahead with national laws would divide the bloc, creating varying age limits among member states.Brussels also fears EU countries will not rush to pass the bloc-wide law if they have their own national rules in place.“We need to now focus on the negotiations of the EU Kids Act and to ensure an effective enforcement of our rules,” Regnier said.The commission hopes EU countries and the European Parliament will reach a deal on the new rules in the next few months.Austria pressured the EU to reach a deal quickly, saying Vienna would make sure its law could take effect “immediately” after one year.Reacting to the EU decision, Austrian Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler said he couldn’t “fathom” why the commission had paused the proposal.Vienna “intended to protect children from the daily harm caused by social media companies, and this is not something that can be postponed.”There will, however, be exceptions to the EU’s decision, which will likely anger Vienna further.Although the commission demanded that France’s proposed law be reworked, it is not expected to be blocked because Paris notified Brussels of the proposal before bloc-wide legislation was put forward.Greece has been able to pass its own rules, drafted long before September.Regnier declined to say whether France would be prevented from enacting its national legislation.The EU has yet to rule on bans proposed by other member states, including Italy and Slovakia.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads