Protecting children online: The time to act is now
In today's digital era, children are growing up in a world where social media are as integral to their daily lives as school or family. While technology offers tremendous opportunities for learning, creativity, and connection, it also exposes young people to significant risks that can no longer be overlooked.
The consequences are deeply concerning. According to a 2023 report by the European Commission, one in three young people in the EU spends more than three hours per day on social media.
This level of overexposure has been closely associated with a growing mental health issues among minors—including anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.
A 2024 study by the World Health Organisation showed that a problematic social media use among adolescents increased from 7% in 2018 to 11% in 2022. It highlights negative impacts on mental health, sleep, well-being and academic performance.
Social media platforms – often built around addictive algorithms – are designed to keep young users engaged for extended periods.
Constant exposure to idealised, curated content can distort self-perception, fuelling feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction.
These are not just statistics—they reflect the genuine emotional and psychological struggles faced by an entire generation that is increasingly ill–equipped to navigate the digital world in a healthy and balanced manner.
Europe has made notable progress through initiatives like the Better Internet for Kids (BIK+) strategy and the Digital Services Act (DSA). Yet, the current framework remains insufficient. The online protection of children must be elevated to a political and societal priority, underpinned by concrete and enforceable action.
We must therefore move swiftly to implement a set of focused measures, starting with default privacy settings for children's accounts to reduce the risk of unsolicited contact from strangers.
We also asking for ecalibrated recommender systems that prioritise explicit user feedback—such as deliberate selection of topics—to minimise the risk of children being drawn into harmful content rabbit holes.
We want enhanced safety controls, including the ability for children to block or mute any user and protection from being added to group chats without their explicit consent, thereby reducing exposure to cyberbullying.
Above all, mandatory age verification mechanisms must be implemented across all social networks. Such measures are essential to prevent minors from bypassing age restrictions and to substantially reduce their exposure to harmful online environments.
The European Commission's recent draft guidelines on the protection of minors under the DSA mark a significant step towards a safer digital space. They offer a unique opportunity to establish age verification a a standard practice across social networks—not as an optional feature, but as a strict requirement.
Enforcing age verification will equip platforms with the technical means necessary to uphold their own terms of service. It will also facilitate the enforcement of EU and national laws that set minimum age requirements for access to specific digital products or services.
If we are genuinely committed to ensuring that the digital world fosters healthy development, learning, and meaningful connection—rather than becoming a breeding ground for anxiety, addiction and harm—then the decisive action must be taken now.
Alexander Pröll, State Secretary for Digitalisation, Combating Antisemitism and Public Service, and the Constitution, Austria; Prof Radovan Fuchs, PhD., Minister of Science, Education and Youth, Croatia; Damir Habijan, Minister of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation, Croatia; Dr Nicodemos Damianou, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Cyprus; Caroline Stage Olsen, Minister for Digital Affairs, Denmark; Clara Chappaz, Minister of Artificial intelligence and Digital Affairs, France; Elisabeth Borne, Minister of National Education, Higher Education and Research, France; Catherine Vautrin, Minister of Labour, Health, Solidarity, and Families, France; Karin Prien, Federal Minister of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, Germany; Dimitrios Papastergiou, Minister of Digital Governance, Greece; Sofia Zacharaki, Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, Greece; Patrick O'Donovan, Minister for culture and communications, Ireland; Prof Giuseppe Valditar, Minister for Education and Merit, Italy; Alessio Butti, Undersecretary of State to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, responsible for technological innovation and digital transition, Italy; Elisabeth Margue, Minister for Justice and Minister attached to the Prime Minister, responsible for the Media and Connectivity, Luxembourg; Claude Meisch, Minister for Education, Children and Youth Affairs, Luxembourg; Tomáš Drucker, Minister of Education, Research, Development, and Youth, Slovakia; Ksenija Klampfer, Minister of Digital Transformation, Slovenia; Vinko Logaj, Minister of Education and Care, Slovenia; Oscar López Águeda, Minister for Digital and Civil Service Transformation, Spain and María del Pilar Alegría Continente, Minister for Education and Vocational Training, Spain all coauthored this opinion article.
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