Overview

• A Spanish parents movement has rallied 60,000 supporters calling for a total smartphone ban for under-16s
• Germany’s coalition agreement pledges a legally enforceable minimum age for social media access
• The European Commission’s updated Digital Services Act mandates robust age checks and enhanced child protections online
• Psychologists warn that early exposure to social media can impair brain development and foster dependency similar to alcohol
• Expert committees in Berlin and Brussels are now shaping the rules and mechanisms for verifying age limits