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A top European Union official on Monday called for limits to be placed on\u00a0children using social media\u00a0as a special EU panel looking into the challenge recommended forbidding access for those under 13 until tech companies can prove their platforms are safe.<\/p>\n
Growing awareness of\u00a0the dangers\u00a0social media poses for young, developing brains has shown up in a wave of new restrictions globally. Australia, the U.K., Turkey, Indonesia and others have passed bans on kids under 16 or 15 from using platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.<\/p>\n
Laying out a list of her concerns about the use of social media by kids,\u00a0European Commission\u00a0President Ursula von der Leyen \u2014 a doctor by training \u2014 said that children under 3 should have no exposure to screens at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe we need to consider phased and gradual access for different age ranges because childhood won\u2019t wait and once it\u2019s gone, we can never give it back,\u201d\u00a0von der Leyen\u00a0told reporters.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust as we don\u2019t give our children keys to the car before they have their license, or we do not let them buy alcohol until they are legally allowed. We need to set the age at which they can, the children can, legally access social media,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Von der Leyen noted infinite scrolling as one of the \u201caddictive\u201d traits that tech companies must address.<\/p>\n
The commission has also been targeting tech companies through other means, and last week used its sweeping Digital Safety Act to\u00a0warn Meta\u00a0that it needs to disable addictive design features such as infinite scrolling or risk a hefty fine.<\/p>\n
Von der Leyen said there should \u201cphased and gradual access for different age ranges\u201d to social media. Children under 13 should only have \u201ctime-limited\u201d access under the supervision of parents, teachers or other caregivers, she told reporters.<\/p>\n
Teenagers should be given gradual access to platforms that can prove they are \u201cage appropriate\u201d and safe for them, she said.<\/p>\n
While she didn\u2019t go into further detail, she and the European Commission \u2014 the EU\u2019s powerful executive branch \u2014 are likely to come up with a proposal for the 27 member countries to weigh in the near future. Von der Leyen\u2019s policy proposals carry great influence with EU member countries.<\/p>\n
A special panel set up to study child safety online delivered its report to the EU chief on Monday. The report said that when it comes to safety, \u201cthe burden of proof needs to be on providers, not regulators, parents and children.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil they demonstrate that their services are safe by design, social media and other digital services providers should have restricted access to children under the age of 13 in the EU,\u201d said the report, which is likely to influence von der Leyen\u2019s thinking.<\/p>\n
It recommended that \u201cfurther precautionary age restrictions\u201d should be considered by EU countries for children over 13.<\/p>\n
Many social media platforms including Instagram and TikTok already prohibit anyone under the age of 13 from signing up for an account. But those restrictions have been criticized for being too easy to get around and the EU\u2019s digital regulators accused Instagram\u2019s parent Meta Platforms earlier this year of\u00a0failing to keep underage users\u00a0of the site.<\/p>\n
The European Commission is working on its own age verification app that will let users prove their age while keeping their identity anonymous.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Chan reported from Toronto.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
#Europe #social #media #platforms #safe #kids<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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