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With a dangerous spike in cyberbullying and self-harm content to addictive algorithms, concerns about children’s online lives are mounting across Europe.
Should social media be banned for under-16s across the EU? Could that be the answer?
This week on The Ring, Euronews’ weekly debate show broadcast from the European Parliament in Brussels, MEPs Axel Voss and Christel Schaldemose dive into this very question.
This week, Spain’s Prime Minister announced plans to introduce a ban on social media for under-16s. Speaking in Dubai, Pedro Sánchez compared online platforms to the “digital wild west” where laws are ignored, and harm goes unchecked.
France, Denmark, Greece, and Ireland are also exploring restrictions raising the potentiality of a fragmented legal landscape unless the EU steps in.
MEPs voted recently on a non-binding report calling for more ambitious EU action. Most want a minimum age of 16 for social media access. Christel Schaldemose of the Socialists and Democrats group, a vice-president of the Parliament and the lead rapporteur behind the EU’s landmark Digital Services Act is in favour.
Speaking on The Ring, Schaldemose argues that today’s platforms are simply not designed for children. Young users, she feels, are exposed to violence, suicide, bullying, and relentless commercial pressure, while addictive design features keep them online for hours every day.
“What is illegal offline must also be illegal online,” she has repeatedly insisted adding that platforms have failed to act voluntarily. In her view, a ban would send a clear signal — both to tech companies and to society — that children deserve stronger protection.
German MEP Axel Voss of the European People’s Party, a long-time digital policymaker best known for his work on EU copyright rules opposes a blanket ban. Voss agrees that social media can be harmful, not just to minors but to society as a whole. But he warns that banning young people from platforms does not equal protection.
Instead, Voss argues that the focus should be on regulating content, algorithms, and so-called “dark patterns” that drive addiction. Age bans, he says, are easy to bypass and risk ignoring the real problem: business models that profit from attention at any cost. He also raises concerns about freedom of expression and the difficulty of defining “good” and “bad” content in a politically divided Europe.
This episode of The Ring is anchored by Méabh Mc Mahon, produced by Luis Albertos and Amaia Echevarria, and edited by Vassilis Glynos.
Watch The Ring on Euronews TV or in the player above and send us your views by writing to [email protected]
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