EU wants to restrict children's access to social media — what does Latvia say?

The European Commission has put forward a proposal to restrict minors' access to social media platforms. Under the plan, children who have not yet turned 13 would be denied access to such platforms altogether.

A graduated approach

The proposal envisions a tiered model based on age. Children aged 13 and 14 would be allowed to use social media, but only through accounts controlled by parents or guardians, giving adults the ability to oversee and manage a child's presence on the platforms. The right to create a fully independent, self-managed profile would only come once a minor turns 15.

Debate in Latvia

The European Commission's initiative has sparked discussion in Latvia as well, with both experts and the young people and children who would be directly affected by such rules sharing their views. Opinions in Latvia vary on how practical such an age-verification system would be to implement and how effectively it would actually protect children from the potential negative effects of social media platforms.

The initiative fits into a broader European trend of strengthening children's protection in the digital environment, amid growing concern over the impact of social media on minors' mental health and wellbeing. If adopted, the proposal would mean significant changes to how social media platforms verify and restrict users' ages across the European Union, including in Latvia.