The European Commission has blocked Austria’s proposed ban on social media for children under 14 for now, postponing for 12 months national draft laws that overlap with planned EU-wide rules on minors’ access to online platforms.
Under EU law, member states must notify the Commission of draft legislation so it can check that the bills do not break the bloc’s rules. “The commission has decided to postpone for 12 months any draft national laws overlapping with the future harmonized rules,” Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said. Austria is the first country subject to the delay because its review period ended after the EU proposal was presented.
The Commission last month proposed the EU Kids Act, which would ban children under 13 from social media and permit only limited, supervised access until the age of 15. The Commission says separate national laws would create differing age limits across member states and could slow negotiations on the bloc-wide rules. “If we have different age limits and different laws in member states, enforcement becomes almost impossible,” chief spokesperson Paula Pinho said.
Greece’s ban on social media for children under 15, scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2027, falls outside the suspension because its mandatory review period ended before the Commission unveiled the Kids Act in September. The Commission stressed that the exemption does not constitute formal approval of the Greek law or confirmation that it complies with EU law.
France is in a similar position to Greece because it notified Brussels of its proposed law before the EU-wide legislation was put forward. The Commission has asked France to rework its law, but it is not expected to be blocked. Regnier declined to say whether France would be prevented from enacting it.
The Commission has yet to deliver verdicts on proposals from other member states, including Italy. It hopes EU countries and the European Parliament will reach a deal on the Kids Act within the next few months, and officials said the EU will continue enforcing the Digital Services Act while negotiations proceed. “We need to now focus on the negotiations of the EU Kids Act and to ensure an effective enforcement of our rules,” Regnier said.
Sources: The Korea Times, eKathimerini
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
