The European Commission wants EU countries to wait 12 months before making some new laws about children and social media. It wants one law for the whole EU instead. The wait affects national plans that cover the same rules as the future EU law.
Austria is the first country affected. Its plan stops children under 14 from using sites and apps for sharing videos. It also makes these services check users’ ages. Austria cannot bring in its plan during the wait.
Austria’s government says the decision is wrong. It says the EU is stopping national laws before its own law is ready. Austria will keep working on its plan. It wants the ban to start as soon as the wait ends.
The Commission put forward its EU plan in September. It stops children under 13 from using most social media and sets limits for children under 15. The Commission wants the same age rules in all 27 EU countries. The European Parliament and EU governments still need to agree, and the law may not start until 2028.
Denmark is still working on its own law. Its minister for digital matters says the problems need action now.
