The European Commission has told 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 about the same issues as the future EU rules.
Austria is the first country affected. Its plan would stop children under 14 from using video-sharing services and make these services check users’ ages. Austria’s government disagrees with the delay. It will keep preparing its law so it can start after the wait ends.
The Commission proposed the EU Kids Act in September. This planned law would keep children under 13 off most social media. It would also limit access for children under 15. The Commission wants the same rules across all 27 EU countries, rather than different age limits in each country.
The European Parliament and EU governments still need to agree on the law. It may not start until 2028. Some countries do not want to wait that long. Denmark is moving forward with its own law, and its digital minister says the problems need action now.
