EU Is Preparing a Regulation to Ban Access for Children Under 13 on Social Media
Key Points
- The European Union is preparing a new regulation that will ban children under the age of 13 from accessing social media.
- Platforms will be forced to prove in advance that their systems are safe for children in order to operate.
- The viewership figures and sponsorship revenues of popular content creators on Spanish broadcasting platforms could severely drop.
- The addition of the controversial 'Chat Control' practice, which envisages scanning private communications, raises privacy concerns.
By the Numbers
The European Union (EU) has presented a comprehensive 'Child Safety Online' report aimed at completely banning children under the age of 13 from accessing social media platforms. The document, prepared by a 300-person team, demands that platforms prove the safety of children and use real age verification systems.
The new regulation is expected to cause a significant backlash, particularly among major content creators (streamers) and platforms in Spain. The viewership numbers of broadcasters who reach large child audiences, such as Ibai, Xokas, and AuronPlay, could instantly drop once age restrictions come into effect. Not only viewer numbers, but also the agreements of brands sponsoring these broadcasts will be directly affected by this demographic change.
The EU's tough stance in the digital realm was evident in the billion-dollar fines imposed on companies under the Digital Services Act (DSA). While the new rules are expected to increase the obligations on platforms, concerns over privacy violations in the draft text are also drawing attention. In particular, the inclusion of the controversial 'Chat Control' issue, which involves scanning private messages, raises concerns regarding user privacy.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What does the new social media report prepared by the European Union propose?
- The report proposes banning all children under the age of 13 from accessing social media platforms and requires platforms to use real age verification systems.
- How will this new EU regulation affect content creators?
- Because a large portion of their audience consists of children, broadcasters (especially on Twitch and YouTube) could experience sharp drops in viewership, which could negatively impact sponsorship agreements.
- What is the privacy concern regarding this regulation, which is expected to become law?
- The 'Chat Control' system included in the draft of the regulation, which aims to detect child abuse by scanning private messages, is criticized on the grounds that it violates user privacy.
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