The key facts
- Australia is defending in the High Court its ban on social media for people under 16; France has already lost a similar battle
- Australia is defending its social media ban for under-16s in the High Court; France has already lost a similar battle
- The European Social Association has been launched in Berlin, supported by more than 150 organizations, including Mastodon
- The European Social Association has been launched in Berlin, backed by more than 150 organizations, including Mastodon
- The European Commission's Kids Act bans accounts for children under 13 and fines platforms up to 6% of global turnover for addictive design
Two paths of regulation
Europe is simultaneously trying two approaches to regulating social media: banning children's access to existing platforms and creating European alternatives. This is reported by Euronews. The first path is running into legal difficulties: this week Australia defended in the High Court its world-first ban on accounts for people under 16. Reddit and the digital rights organization Digital Freedom Project argue that the law violates the freedom of political communication implied by the constitution. Since December, the law has closed five million accounts, but ministers admit the ban has proved less effective than expected: many children bypass age verification.
Court defeats and new bans
France has already lost a similar battle: in August the Constitutional Council struck down key provisions of the national ban for people under 15, deeming it too broad and lacking safeguards in the age verification that would apply to all users, including adults. President Emmanuel Macron has ordered a narrower version of the law to be prepared. Nevertheless, other governments continue to move in this direction: Greece plans a ban for those under 15 from January 2027, Denmark from July 2027, Spain is discussing a limit of 16, and the UK is expected to introduce its ban next year.
European Social Association: build, don't ban
On Wednesday in Berlin an alternative approach took shape: the European Social Association was launched, supported by more than 150 organizations, including Mastodon. It will coordinate the work of open, decentralized social networks under the control of Europeans themselves. «Europe needs an open, interoperable and community-governed social infrastructure that reflects its democratic values and serves the public interest,» said the co-chairs of the initiative, Michael Foster and Björn Staschen.
Brussels' support and the Kids Act
The idea has some support in the European Commission: the Open Source Strategy, published in June, names decentralized social networks as one of four areas of support for European alternatives — alongside cloud services, work tools and secure email. «We certainly welcome the development of European social media platforms,» Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier told the publication, adding that the strategy aims to develop sovereign solutions and reduce technological dependence. He did not name any specific funding or projects for social networks. In September the Commission presented the Kids Act draft law: children under 13 will be banned from creating accounts, parents will be able to create limited «mini-accounts» for 13- and 14-year-olds, and full accounts will be available from age 15. «All online services will have to prove that they are safe for minors. We are changing the burden of proof,» Regnier said.
Possible conflicts and open questions
The two approaches may collide: the Australian ban covers ten major commercial platforms, whereas the overturned French law applied to any service where users communicate or share content — a definition that could have affected community-run networks like Mastodon. The Commission argues that the Kids Act avoids the French breadth: encyclopedias, educational platforms and digital news are exempted from the law, and content without an account will remain accessible. However, the Commission did not clarify whether the rules would apply to decentralized networks in the same way as to major platforms. Another obstacle is age verification: tech giants can pay for verification, while services run by volunteers may not be able to afford it. The EU is developing a free, privacy-preserving age verification app, which is planned for release by the end of the year. Beyond age limits, the draft law targets addictive features — infinite scrolling, reward mechanics and nighttime notifications; violators face fines of up to 6% of global turnover. This week, a member of the Dutch parliament also proposed banning 'harmful addictive design features'.
