The European Union is expected to abandon plans to ban social media for children due to various legal issues with the scheme, outlets in Brussels are now reporting.
According to Commission-aligned outlet Politico, the body’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, will announce that the bloc will not implement her blanket ban for under-13s, and will instead opt for softer restrictions that could be bypassed with parental consent.
Such a change comes on the back of fears that von der Leyen’s preferred blanket ban could have violated the fundamental free expression rights of children in a manner that could not be justified under European law.
“A delay on when minors can access social media, and flexibility for parents that choose otherwise, will be beneficial and compatible with fundamental rights,” an anonymous official reportedly said regarding the backtrack.
The change is set to be confirmed in von der Leyen’s “State of the EU” speech early next month.
Von der Leyen’s decision to abandon the plan follows mass legal and social criticism of child social media bans throughout the bloc.
French President Emmanuel Macron, a key backer of the proposal, had previously seen the greatest setback in terms of implementation following a French court’s decision that his planned ban would have breached the rights of the country’s children.
He had told his government following the ruling to rework his ban to make it compatible with French constitutional law, though it is unclear whether Brussels’ decision to abandon the prohibition will alter Paris’ own plans.
The Irish government has also expressed interest in implementing a blanket ban, with Taoiseach Micheál Martin saying that Dublin wanted to implement such a restriction, but only as part of a wider EU campaign.
“I believe some proposals will emenate from the Commisison in respect of social media and protecting young people and potentially moving in the direction that the UK have,” he said in June.
“There is a growing groundswell of national Governments coming to the view that we do have to do more to protect young people. The precise mechanisms of a ban on social media for under 16s have to be worked out.”
It is unclear whether Brussels’ decision to abandon the plan will cause the Taoiseach to also about-face on the issue.