Overview
- The expert group delivered its report on July 13 recommending EU‑wide baseline rules that children under 13 should not have unrestricted access to social media and that use before that age should be limited to supervised or educational settings.
- Ursula von der Leyen said she will present a legislative proposal after the summer, with an announcement expected in September to turn the experts’ recommendations into EU law.
- Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath has signaled a separate move to give Brussels powers to fine platforms for manipulative features such as endless scrolling, subscription traps and dark patterns that harm children.
- The Commission is considering technical age checks including the EUDI‑Wallet as an enforcement tool, though its wider roll‑out is planned for 2027 and its practical privacy and circumvention limits remain unresolved.
- Member states are pursuing their own rules — France’s draft was already flagged by the Commission for changes — and the next steps are Commission proposal, then negotiation and approval by the European Parliament and the Council.