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European Commission - Statement Statement by President von der Leyen with the Co-Chairs of the Special Panel on child safety online Brussels, 13 July 2026 A few months ago, I commissioned the Special Panel on Child Safety Online. Today we are receiving the report. Dear Doctor Melchior, Dear Professor Fegert, I want to thank you and all the members of the Special Panel, for your hard work in the recent months and your...
European Commission - Statement Statement by President von der Leyen with the Co-Chairs of the Special Panel on child safety online Brussels, 13 July 2026 A few months ago, I commissioned the Special Panel on Child Safety Online. Today we are receiving the report. Dear Doctor Melchior, Dear Professor Fegert, I want to thank you and all the members of the Special Panel, for your hard work in the recent months and your skilful steer. It is the evidence we have been waiting for, which you are delivering today. The Panel examined what I believe is one of the greatest challenges confronting today's governments – how to protect our kids online, how we establish a new norm in the future online world. The Special Panel's work has examined the benefits, opportunities and harms of social media algorithms on children. I have been eagerly awaiting your recommendations, and I am looking forward to reading this report. We in Europe believe that parents bring up our kids, and not predatory algorithms. To that end, let me be very clear: social media is not a toy. While ultimately it is up to parents to decide when children get their first smartphones, what we already have is a consensus that there needs to be a start date for the age children can join social media. The status quo, a world where we continue to allow big tech unrestricted access to our children, will only consign another generation to more mental harm, addiction and misery. The data reveal the facts. Across Europe, young people now spend four to six hours per day on screens. Six hours every day – this adds up to twenty years of their life. At the same time, across Europe, almost 60% of young children have experienced emotional or psychosocial problems online. And day and night, parents too well see the consequences of this: loss of sleep, depression, anxiety, cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content. All this is happening while our children's brains are still developing. We cannot expect children to succeed in a system that was never designed with their wellbeing in mind, when they are most vulnerable. I want to raise three points. My first point – the platforms were the architects of these systems, now they must prove that their services do no harm. In Europe, whoever develops a product is responsible for its safety. Car manufacturers must make their vehicles safe. We do not expect children to design their own seatbelts. We do not expect parents to fit airbags at home. And the very same must be true for big tech. This is why we have the Digital Services Act so that providers remove harmful features – addictive algorithms, dark patterns, harmful content, or unwanted contacts. With our DSA, we have already taken strong action – against TikTok's addictive design, and just last week against Meta. Because the rule in Europe is safety-by-design. The platforms have a duty of care to their users, especially to their most vulnerable users. So when a young person reports a problem, providers must respond quickly and effectively. Children's rights must be taken seriously. And companies must be held accountable. So we will continue to uphold our legislation and enforce our rules and change the system where it fails our children. Now to my second point, it is clear we need age-appropriate restrictions to platforms. This is not about whether children can access social media. It is about whether and when social media can access our children. The question is no longer if children face risks online, but what can we do to give children a safer start online. And here, our age verification app is one of the tools to get it done. It is easy to use, privacy preserving, and open source. This is about putting power back into the hands of parents. And that brings me to my third point today. The more we learn, and the more we see the impact on our children, the stronger the argument becomes for a social media start date. Just as we do not give our children keys to the car before they have their licence or let them buy alcohol until they are legally allowed, we need to set the age at which they can legally access social media. This will not be foolproof. And change takes time. It will take time to embed the cultural change that is already taking shape in our society. Just as it took time to outlaw drink-driving, and using seatbelts in cars. Great change never happens overnight, but when it comes to our safety, it is always worth it. And when it comes to social media, the research shows that timing matters. For example, we know that toddlers should have no exposure to screens and digital platforms at all. So no screens under the age of three. Children should only be exposed to social media under supervision – of parents, caregivers or teachers – and time-limited. Childhood is a period of extraordinary and delicate brain development. During this stage, our children need time in the real world. Time to play, to build friendships face-to- face, to make mistakes. Time to shape their own identities, their own personalities, before an algorithm shapes them instead. I believe we need to give our children this time. If we want to protect childhood, we need to start where the risks are greatest. We first need to consider the type of platforms that are harmful to our children. The evidence shows that this is mainly social media platforms, but also other providers with age-inappropriate and addictive features. So think of it as social media plus. And when we have this clearly defined category, I believe we need to consider phased and gradual access for different age ranges. Because childhood will not wait. And once it is gone, we cannot give it back. This report comes during a unique window of opportunity. We have heard from parents, educators, experts, and young people themselves. We have heard the experience from partners like Australia, as well as our Member States. Now we need action at European level. We will carefully review this report and the recommendations. And present a proposal after the summer. Thank you. STATEMENT/26/1590 Press contacts: Paula PINHO (+32 2 29 20815) Arianna PODESTA (+32 2 298 70 24) Olof GILL (+32 2 29 65966) General public inquiries: Europe Direct by phone 00 800 67 89 10 11 or by email Related media Press point by EC President Ursula von der LEYEN and the co-chairs of the Special Panel on child safety online Prof Jorg M. FEGERT and Dr Maria MELCIOR on the report on children’s safety , on the report on children’s safety online
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