The Dutch government is advocating for a European Union-wide minimum age requirement for social media use, aiming to harmonize regulations across member states. In collaboration with Spain, the Netherlands has submitted proposals to the European Commission to establish a unified minimum age of 15 for social media platforms, coupled with privacy-friendly age verification measures.
The initiative is part of a broader effort to enhance online safety standards for children, aligning them with protections already in place in the physical world. Dutch Digital Economy Minister Willemijn Aerdts emphasized the importance of maintaining consistent safety standards for children, both offline and online.
The European Commission is expected to review these proposals as part of its ongoing digital policy discussions, which include strategies for safeguarding children from the risks associated with social media use. The issue has gained momentum as individual countries have begun implementing their own age restrictions. Recently, France imposed a ban on social media access for individuals under 15, while Australia set a similar restriction for those under 16 in December 2025. The United Kingdom is also planning to implement its own restrictions for users under 16 by 2027.
As these regulations are considered, privacy advocates have raised concerns regarding the implementation of age verification systems. In April, the European Commission introduced an age-checking app, but it quickly faced scrutiny when a security researcher found a way to bypass it, leading the commission to release a security update.