Europe wants to ban social media for under 16s – here's all we know

• The EU is considering a social media ban for under-16s
• Australia's social ban set to kick in on December 10, 2025
• Expansion of the debate around privacy and age verification in the EU

The European Parliament is looking into the possibility of banning children under 16 from accessing social media platforms.

This is what has emerged from Wednesday's discussion, when 483 members voted in favor of a resolution on how to better protect minors online, as reported by Politico Europe. Only 92 voted against, with 86 abstaining to express their preferences.

The European Commission is taking note of Australia's world-first under-16 social media ban, which is expected to come into force from December 10, 2025.

Led by Danish social-democrat Christel Schaldemose, the EU resolution is now calling on the European Commission to cope with Europe's "fragmented approach to age assurance" to ensure consistency across the bloc.

Age verification has begun to roll out in the EU, in fact, but only a few countries have already implemented the new rules as per the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Age verification and the risk for privacy

While the goal behind age verification laws of shielding minors from online harm is crucial, privacy and security experts alike have expressed their concerns about current age assurance methods, deeming these rules as "a privacy tradeoff."

All internet users, or anyone with a social media at least, would be required to verify their age – not only under-16s.

Yet, sharing a picture of your face or government ID with a third-party age verification provider can leave your data more vulnerable to leak or abuse, experts warn. This is a scenario that became reality after 70,000 government ID photos were leaked in the UK when the third-party provider used by Discord was hacked.

These data privacy and security concerns are exactly the reason why citizens worldwide have turned to the best VPN services in the face of new mandatory age checks.

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