Europe plans social media age limits as Latvian children respond

The European Commission plans to restrict minors’ access to social media platforms, LSM reports. The proposal would ban access for children under 13, allow 13 and 14 year olds to use accounts controlled by parents or guardians, and permit minors to create their own profiles from the age of 15.

The proposal is being assessed in Latvia as schools limit children’s use of mobile phones. Phones have been banned in schools up to the ninth grade since the start of this school year, reducing the time children and teenagers spend looking at screens.

Major social media platforms already set a minimum age of 13 in their terms of service, but the rule is not effectively enforced in practice.

Karlina Bula, a student at Riga Centre Humanitarian Secondary School, said the proposed restrictions would not be a good decision. She said social media could help young people discover who they are and find their personal style, as well as expose them to negative content.

Bula posts videos on TikTok about how she gets ready and how her day passes. She said social media would always include some negative comments, but also many people who respond positively.

Another student at the school, Katrina Emilija Silina, said social media was useful because it allowed young people to draw inspiration from others and find their identity. However, she said there should be more parental control because social media contains content not intended for children. She opposed a complete ban.

The main aim of the proposed restrictions is to protect children’s and teenagers’ mental health and online safety, while reducing dependence on features designed to hold users’ attention. These include endless scrolling, reward systems and notifications sent during the night.

Student Kristofers Tuklers said he spends too much time watching videos. He said he would rather go outside for a walk and talk with friends.