Overview
- Lawmakers voted 483–92 to urge the European Commission to draft rules blocking accounts for children under 13 and requiring parental approval for users 13 to 16, with no exceptions for younger children.
- The Commission is developing a 'Kids Wallet' app to verify age via official ID without sharing personal data with platforms, with a pilot running in Greece and plans in Denmark, Spain, Italy and Belgium.
- An expert group is expected to deliver recommendations by year‑end to inform the Commission’s proposal.
- In a parallel file, EU governments rejected mandatory mass scanning of private messages, keeping voluntary detection in place while advancing powers to order content removals and establishing a child‑abuse center.
- Australia’s law barring under‑16s from creating social‑media accounts takes effect on 10 December 2025 and is cited by EU leaders as a template, as German activists push a 16‑plus minimum age and a Bundestag commission studies options.