European Governments Consider Social Media Ban for Minors, Potentially Targeting TikTok

			

by enr | Jun 30, 2025 | Videos

Several European Union nations are advocating for a ban on social media for individuals under 16. But is such a ban feasible, and is it the appropriate course of action?

Will platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube become unavailable to millions of teens in Europe? That’s the aim of a proposal supported by various European nations, including Spain, France, and Greece.

Proponents argue that such measures are essential to safeguard children under 15 or 16 from the adverse impacts of social media. They cite research linking social media use to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, cyberbullying, and online predators.

However, experts caution that the issue is more nuanced, highlighting the social and developmental advantages that children gain from online engagement and suggesting that an outright ban may infringe on children’s rights. They recommend that online platforms should enhance their efforts to foster a secure online environment.

“Currently, the discussion is centered on safety, and these bans stem from a frustration among policymakers over online platforms’ failure to ensure the safety they are mandated to provide,” stated Fabiola Bas Palomares, Lead Policy and Advocacy Officer for Online Safety at Eurochild, in an interview with the European Newsroom (enr).

Cultural diversity within the EU also plays a significant role. “Various countries have unique cultures and accept different content and behaviors at differing ages. Therefore, any regulations created should consider these cultural variations and how nations perceive childhood,” commented Verónica Donoso, a Research Fellow at the Media Culture & Policy Lab of KU Leuven.

If Spain, France, and others move forward with the ban, they will not be the first to do so, following in the footsteps of countries like Australia. Nevertheless, the debate regarding children’s access to social media continues across Europe.

		

Comments

2 responses to “European Governments Consider Social Media Ban for Minors, Potentially Targeting TikTok”

  1. wooden german Avatar
    wooden german

    Oh, brilliant idea! Why not just wrap them in bubble wrap and call it a day? 🙄 Kids are gonna love having their social lives dictated by bureaucrats—what’s next, a ban on fun?

  2. Seal Snake Avatar
    Seal Snake

    Social media ban for minors? Brilliant idea! Because clearly, the best way to teach kids about the internet is to pretend it doesn’t exist until they’re 16… 🤦‍♂️

  3. Demolition Queen Avatar
    Demolition Queen

    So, we’re just gonna wrap kids in bubble wrap and hope they don’t figure out how to sneak onto TikTok? Brilliant strategy, if we want a generation that’s terrified of their own shadow. 😂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Last News

Brecht Photographer Closes Shop After 30 Years of Service

Brecht Photographer Closes Shop After 30 Years of Service

Sint-Katelijne-Waver (Brussel Morning Newspaper) – After 30 years in business, Brecht photographer Sven Van Roy is closing his shop as the municipality begins taking official passport photos internally.
Since this year, the municipality has been accepting them. 

“It is a decision by the government to combat identity fraud, but the municipality is not obliged to follow it,”

says Van Roy.
To fi

Read More

Canicule : Marine Le Pen promet un “grand plan d’équipement de climatisation”

Canicule : Marine Le Pen promet un “grand plan d’équipement de climatisation”

Les dirigeants européens souhaitent que la Première ministre italienne exprime leurs préoccupations sur les questions commerciales au président américain lors de sa visite à Washington.

Read More

Budapest Pride: Viktor Orban Calls It “a Shame”

Budapest Pride: Viktor Orban Calls It “a Shame”

Budapest – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban labeled the Pride march that took place in Budapest on Saturday as a “shame” in his first public reaction, as reported in excerpts from a televised interview scheduled for broadcast on Monday evening.
“I do not regard what occurred as a source of pride. (…) I consider it a shame,” Mr. Orban expressed.
The event, which featured a large, festive crow

Read More

Sint-Katelijne-Waver to Open New Public Swimming Pool by 2030

Sint-Katelijne-Waver to Open New Public Swimming Pool by 2030

Sint-Katelijne-Waver (Brussel Morning Newspaper) – Sint-Katelijne-Waver has announced plans to build a modern public swimming pool by 2030, aiming to expand swimming access for residents of all ages.
The two swimming pools that are currently in use are too old to be updated. A Flemish subsidy of 4.5 million will be given to the new complex. It must address the increasing need for swimming skills

Read More

EU Ambassador to Azerbaijan Denounces Inhumane Treatment of Azeris in Russia

EU Ambassador to Azerbaijan Denounces Inhumane Treatment of Azeris in Russia

Azerbaijan reportedly canceled all cultural events associated with Russia due to “demonstrative targeted and extrajudicial killings and acts of violence committed by Russian law enforcement agencies against Azeris,” according to the country’s Culture Ministry.
In the Sverdlovsk region, whose capital is Yekaterinburg, the Russian Investigative Committee acknowledged that two suspects di

Read More

European Governments Consider Social Media Ban for Minors, Potentially Targeting TikTok

European Governments Consider Social Media Ban for Minors, Potentially Targeting TikTok

by enr | Jun 30, 2025 | Videos

Several European Union nations are advocating for a ban on social media for individuals under 16. But is such a ban feasible, and is it the appropriate course of action?

[embedded content]

Will platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube become unavailable to millions of teens in Europe? That’s the aim of a proposal supporte

Read More

Parents Camp for School Spots at SIL Kontich in 2025

Parents Camp for School Spots at SIL Kontich in 2025

Kontich (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – In June 2025, parents camped outside Sint-Jozefinstituut in Kontich for upper-grade spots. Director Doucha Volckaert says the law blocks digital registration beyond 1st year, causing stress and unfair access.
As VRT News reported, parents in Kontich camped outside the Sint-Jozefinstituut, Belgium, for over a day. They wanted to get their kids into the upper

Read More

France, Germany, UK Urge Iran to Maintain Cooperation with IAEA

France, Germany, UK Urge Iran to Maintain Cooperation with IAEA

France, Germany, and the U.K. urge Iran to reconsider its stance, maintain cooperation with the IAEA, and safeguard the agency’s staff. They denounce threats against IAEA’s Grossi, following claims by Iran’s Kayhan newspaper alleging Grossi as an Israeli spy and calling for his execution, though Iran’s UN ambassador insists Tehran poses no threat. After Israeli attacks on I

Read More

EU-funded initiative for social reutilization of land seized from organized crime in Albania

EU-funded initiative for social reutilization of land seized from organized crime in Albania

The Final Conference of the “Our Land” project took place in Tirana, showcasing an innovative approach to the social repurposing of lands confiscated from organized crime in Albania.
Executed by COSV in collaboration with ANRD and CGM, and in close partnership with the Agency for the Management of Seized and Confiscated Assets (AAPSK), this project has been funded by the European Commission since

Read More

Russia Claims NATO’s Defense Increase Could Lead to Its Collapse

Russia Claims NATO’s Defense Increase Could Lead to Its Collapse

Moscow (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that NATO members’ decision to boost defence spending would be disastrous for the alliance and could ultimately lead to its demise, state news agency TASS reported on Monday.
In response to NATO allies arranged raise to their collective spending objective to 5% of gross domestic product over the next decade, On M

Read More