EU mulls children's social media ban as experts call for safer design

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Brussels: An expert advisory council has cautioned that age-based bans alone are unlikely to protect young users unless platforms also update elements that attract excessive usage, as the European Union considers limiting children's access to social media.

According to the experts, children's mental health and wellness are seriously endangered by addictive design elements like limitless scrolling, autoplay, and algorithm-driven recommendations. Instead of relying only on general age limitations, they recommended the European Commission to concentrate on creating "safe by design" platforms.

Pressure has been growing on Brussels to adopt an EU-wide approach after countries including Australia introduced social media restrictions for minors. Several EU member states have also pushed for stricter age limitations, although experts warn that outright bans will be difficult to police and may limit young people's access to educational materials and online support networks.

The recommendations come as the European Commission increases its monitoring of big platforms. Last Monday, it accused Meta of failing to sufficiently protect children from addictive elements on Facebook and Instagram in accordance with the Digital Services Act, potentially subjecting the firm to substantial fines.