The European Commission is expected to announce a ban on children accessing social media later this week.
The EU Kids Act is due to be published on Thursday, but details are likely to be released the day before when the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, presents her annual State of the EU address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Von der Leyen tasked a group of experts in the EU’s Special Panel on child safety online to advise on the best measures to take.
In their report, published in July, they advised the EU to restrict social media from children, with younger children banned completely.
Details about the EU Kids Act have not yet been made public, but it is expected that von der Leyen will follow much of what they advised.
It is also expected that the European Commission will put a lot of onus on the social media companies themselves to ensure that a less addictive version of their apps is available to teenagers.
The EU has been developing the technology to run in the background of age verification apps which would essentially password-protect websites and apps against users below the age of 15.
EU officials admit that the system will not be full-proof because adults could give their passwords or access codes to children.
One official said it was similar to restricting the sale of cigarettes: It is illegal for newsagents to sell to under 18 year olds, but if an adult buys tobacco on their behalf, it is difficult to prevent it.
Nonetheless, the European Commission hopes the new law will reduce child exposure to some of the dangers and addiction of the web.
Social media companies will also face tough penalties if they do not comply.
“Children clearly need better protection online, but age verification is not a silver bullet and would raise serious privacy and data protection concerns of its own,” Agustín Reyna from the consumer protection organisation BEUC warned.
“On top of protecting minors, we expect the Commission to take bold action to better protect all consumers from unfair practices online. Companies make it difficult for consumers to cancel subscriptions, or use manipulative design to steer users towards certain choices, regardless of age. These practices are unfair whether you are 15 or 50. That’s why we need an ambitious Digital Fairness Act to strengthen the protection for consumers of all ages across the digital economy.”
The European Commission proposals will be subject to negotiation, amendment and approval by ministers and the European Parliament before the law can come into force.