Von der Leyen: Social media causes addiction, suffering among children

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that social media platforms pose a serious threat to children's well-being, urging the introduction of a mandatory minimum age for social media use across the European Union and stronger safeguards to protect minors online.

Speaking at a conference in Paris, broadcast by the European Commission, von der Leyen argued that access to social media should be regulated in a manner similar to other age-restricted activities.

“Just as we do not give our children keys to the car before they have their licence or let them buy alcohol until they are legally allowed, we need to set the age at which they can legally access social media,” she said.

“We in Europe believe that parents  bring up our kids, and not predatory algorithms,” she added. “While ultimately it is up to parents to decide when children get their first smartphones, what we already have is a consensus that there needs to be a start date for the age children can join social media. The status quo, a world where we continue to allow big tech unrestricted access to our children, will only consign another generation to more mental harm, addiction and misery.”

Von der Leyen noted that young people in Europe spend between four and eight hours a day in front of screens.

“Six hours every day – this adds up to twenty years of their life. At the same time, across Europe, almost 60% of young children have experienced emotional or psychosocial problems online. And day and night, parents too well see the consequences of this: loss of sleep, depression, anxiety, cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content,” Von der Leyen emphasised.

She also stressed that social media companies must take responsibility for protecting children online.

“The platforms were the architects of these systems, now they must prove that their services do no harm,” von der Leyen said. “The platforms have a duty of care to their users, especially to their most vulnerable users. So when a young person reports a problem, providers must respond quickly and effectively. Children's rights must be taken seriously. And companies must be held accountable.”

By Jeyhun Aghazada