The EU Commission: New Social Media Guidelines Including Age Limits

On 14 July, the EU Commission made clear that EU Member States have the right to set their own age limits for access to social media services and that online platforms are obliged to comply with such age limits. This is, for example, vital for enterprises using social media as their marketing channels.

At first glance, it may seem as if social media providers themselves determine the age limits for access to their platforms. When signing up for social media accounts, you are typically asked for your date of birth only and, to gain access, many young people state a higher age without further proof. This has long been a grey area, and the division of responsibility for age limit compliance has been unclear. However, changes are now made at EU level that will affect platforms, enterprises as well as social media users.