European states ought to think about imposing laws in opposition to huge tech corporations earlier than they think about banning kids and youngsters from social media, in accordance with the Council of Europe’s human rights spokesperson.
The commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, mentioned there’s a hazard that imposing minimal ages for social media may distract from the necessity to maintain know-how corporations accountable for his or her behaviour.
His feedback come as a rising variety of international locations, together with the UK, Germany, Spain and Greece, are taking a look at age restrictions for social media platforms comparable to TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram.
O’Flaherty, an Irish human rights lawyer, mentioned governments have to have a extra nuanced dialogue, together with contemplating the human rights of youngsters to freedom of expression, and stronger enforcement in opposition to tech corporations, earlier than banning younger folks from social media.
“It’s clear that kids must be protected. There is no such thing as a problem there,” he informed Laptop Weekly. However he mentioned, reasonably than default to social media bans, international locations have to take a extra thought of strategy, together with doing a “higher job of policing the platforms and making them accountable and responsible for their very own practices”.
Though the European Union (EU) has launched legal guidelines such because the Digital Rights Act, which permit international locations to convey enforcement motion in opposition to know-how corporations that fail to guard kids, he argued that enforcement by member states has been insufficient.
“It is a good piece of laws, however we have to see it vigorously enforced throughout every nation the place it applies. It’s not that we lack the regulation – we have to see the concerted, sustained supply of the regulation that may make a distinction,” he mentioned. “We have to get all of the member states as much as the identical stage of vigorous enforcement.”
Algorithmic transparency
O’Flaherty mentioned it was important that huge tech corporations had been clear about how their algorithms work. Claims by tech corporations that their algorithms are too difficult to grasp are “unacceptable”, he mentioned.
“We want algorithmic transparency in order that what’s harmful may be detected. We want ongoing human rights compliance testing. We principally want an utility of the instruments which have been woven into the regulation,” he added.
We want algorithmic transparency in order that what’s harmful may be detected. We want ongoing human rights compliance testing. We want an utility of the instruments which have been woven into the regulation Michael O’Flaherty, Council of Europe
Obligations on tech corporations should be enforceable, topic to unbiased oversight, and supported by sanctions and liabilities which are efficient deterrents, he added. “The supply of hurt is rooted within the design and incentives of the platforms.”
Germany turned the newest nation to again a social media ban for youngsters on Saturday, when the nation’s ruling celebration handed a movement to ban its use by kids below 14.
Spain introduced plans to ban under-16s from social media in February, together with measures that can make firm executives liable for unlawful or dangerous content material on their platforms. France backed related measures in January. Denmark, Poland and Austria have additionally mentioned social media bans for younger folks.
They comply with Australia, which turned the primary nation to introduce a social media ban for younger folks by way of its On-line Security Modification Act, which got here into power in December 2025. The act required platforms together with TikTok, YouTube, X and Reddit to implement age-verification measures or face fines of tens of millions of {dollars}.
Authorized problem to Australia
Reddit is difficult the ban within the Australian Excessive Courtroom, on the grounds that the regulation would harm folks’s on-line privateness by forcing adults and minors to make use of intrusive and doubtlessly insecure age verification providers.
The UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, introduced plans on 15 February to implement a minimal age for social media in a matter of months.
The proposals will prohibit addictive options, comparable to limitless scrolling or autoplay, for youngsters on social media apps, and can restrict kids’s entry to digital personal networks, which can be utilized to bypass age restrictions.
The European Fee has issued sanctions in opposition to massive on-line platforms for breaches of the Digital Providers Act.
In February, a preliminary ruling was made that TikTok’s addictive design options, together with infinite scroll and autoplay, may result in “compulsive use” for its customers, inflicting them to behave on autopilot.
If TikTok refuses to make adjustments demanded by the European Fee to its algorithms, it may face a superb of as much as 6% of its annual income, amounting to a possible superb of over £10bn.
O’Flaherty argued that, opposite to the claims of huge tech corporations, good regulation doesn’t stifle innovation.
“Have a look at international locations like Singapore, which try to place good regulation in place – they’re among the many most modern locations on this planet in relation to know-how,” he added.
O’Flaherty mentioned it was “preposterous” that social media corporations have been allowed to self-regulate, in contrast to areas of the financial system, comparable to automobile security, the place state regulation is seen as important.
