Von der Leyen: social networks greatly harm children and cause addiction

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that social networks cause "enormous harm to children, cause addiction and suffering," called for introducing a mandatory minimum age for using social networks in the EU, and also obligate operators to create measures to protect children online.

She made this statement at a conference in Paris, which was broadcast by the European Commission press service.

"Just as we do not give children the keys to a car until they get a license, or we do not allow them to buy alcohol until they have reached the appropriate age, we must set the age from which children can legally use social networks," she said.

"Children should be raised by parents, not predatory algorithms," she said. "There is already a consensus in the EU that a starting age should be defined from which children can connect to social networks. The status quo, in which we continue to allow large digital corporations unlimited access to our children, will only cause enormous harm to another generation, cause addiction and suffering in them."

"Young people in Europe spend between four and eight hours a day in front of a screen. Six hours a day means 20 years of life. At the same time, across Europe, more than 60% of minors experience emotional and psychosocial problems online, and parents observe the consequences day and night: loss of sleep, depression, anxiety, pressure on the network and exposure to harmful content," she continued.

"Platforms are the architects of social networks; they must ensure that their product is safe for children," she stated. "If a young user reports a problem, measures must be taken immediately and the company must be held responsible for it."