Overview
- The 18‑member experts commission delivered 56 recommendations to Families Minister Karin Prien on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, and Prien publicly supported a statutory minimum age of 13 for independent social‑media accounts.
- The commission offered two paths: a uniform legal minimum age of 13 or a risk‑based approach that would restrict specific platforms, services or functions by age through changes to the EU Digital Services Act.
- Recommended technical and platform rules include protected default settings for minors, limits on personalized advertising and algorithmic feeds, bans on auto‑play and endless feeds for children, and stronger age verification.
- Practical enforcement remains unresolved because current checks rely on self‑reported birthdates; ministers point to the planned EUDI‑Wallet, expected from early 2027, and an EU expert report due July 13, 2026, as key tools and milestones for verification and harmonisation.
- Domestic parties disagree over exact ages and methods while international examples such as Australia’s under‑16 ban show both benefits for families and limits in enforcement, meaning implementation will affect schools, parents, platforms and young people’s online access.