EU ministers pledged on Friday to redouble their efforts to protect children on the internetbut they distanced themselves from Denmark by not prohibiting social networks for those under 15 years of age.
The Jutland Declaration, drafted by the Nordic country while it presides over the Council of the EU during the second half of 2025, was signed by 25 member states – all except Estonia and Belgium – during the informal meeting of Telecommunications Ministers held on Friday.
The ministers said that They will study if new measures are necessary to complement existing EU rules, as they state that minors are increasingly at risk of being exposed to illegal, harmful and extremist content, and “require stronger and more targeted protection”.
A 2024 World Health Organization (WHO) study found that problematic social media use among adolescents increased from 7% in 2018 to 11% in 2022. More than one in 10 teenagers (11%) showed signs of problematic behavior on social media, struggling to control their use and experiencing negative consequences, the study says.
A tool to mitigate the negative impact of illegal and age-inappropriate content could be effective age verification. The upcoming Digital Equity Act, for which the Commission will introduce rules early next year, could incorporate these tools.
“In the offline world, age verification is a standard for age-restricted goods and services. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect safeguards similar online, where the risks – especially for minors – are significant and well documented,” the statement said.
“Without adequate and reliable age verification, it is difficult to prevent, for example, social networks from targeting minors with content and features designed for adultsputting their well-being at risk,” he adds.
According to the statement, existing regulations, such as the Digital Services Law (DSL), which requires online platforms to fight illegal content and increase transparency on the moderation of its contents, may not be enough.
Danish Digital Services Minister Caroline Stage Olsen told reporters that “the most important thing is to have rules, and the Digital Fairness Act is the fastest way to take action.” However, he said, “standards should not overlap with each other“.
Denmark prepares to ban social networks for children under 15 years of age
Earlier this week, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that the country plans to introduce a social media ban for those under 15 in a bid to “better protect children and young people in a digital reality where many experience declining well-being and increasing addiction to social networks”.
In the EU, children They must be at least 13 years old to create social media accounts, but Frederiksen cited data showing that 94% of Danish children had social media before that age.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last month that the EU Executive has created a group of experts to report onHow EU children could be restricted from using social mediataking into account Australia’s measures in this field, where adolescents under 16 years of age cannot use social media platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Ministers from Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Cyprus told reporters before the meeting that support Danish effortsbut that their countries will not introduce bans. “We do not want a ban, but we do want to protect the little ones from the inconveniences of technology,” said German Secretary of State Thomas Jazombek.
The Greek Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou, said that there are different factors to take into account. “What to do with children under 12 years old? There is a more mature age, from 12 to 15 years old. I don’t think it can be a single age verification category,” Papastergiou declared.
Platforms also consulted
On Friday, the Commission also asked online platforms Snapchat, YouTube, Apple and Google More information about their age verification systemsas part of its efforts under the DSA. The Commission wants to know what they do to prevent minors from accessing illegal products, such as drugs or vapes, or harmful material, such as content that promotes eating disorders.
The DSA came into force in 2023 and, since then, the Commission has opened ten investigations into platforms, including X, TikTok and Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, for different alleged infractions ranging from election integrity to recommendation systems. The procedures continue and none of the investigations have yet concluded.
