The European Commission has requested the governments of member states to suspend any national laws that restrict access to social networks for teenagers for one year. This action comes as Brussels seeks to draft a set of unified regulations for the entire European Union.
Austria's reaction to the European Commission's directive
Austria, as the first country to receive the directive to halt its legislation on Thursday, has protested against this order. Alexander Pörl, Austria's Deputy Minister of the Interior, deemed this directive unacceptable and stated that "Brussels' responsibility to prevent the implementation of national laws without providing a comprehensive European solution is unfair."
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Draft Children’s Law and Future Negotiations
The Commission and the capitals of member states have been seeking age restrictions for access to social networks over the past year, linking their reasons to the mental health risks for young people. Although the European Union has proposed a unified law titled "Children's Law," different countries are still pursuing different approaches and various age restrictions.
This proposed law specifically prohibits access to social networks for individuals under 13 years old in most cases and severely restricts access for teenagers under 15 years old. It also sets safety requirements for platform designs, including video games and artificial intelligence robots.
Austria had also asked the European Commission to examine whether its proposed law, which prohibits access for individuals under 14 years old, is in line with EU laws. However, the deadline for the Commission's response expired on Thursday, and the Commission informed Austria that it must halt adoption for one year.
Andreas Babler, Austria's Minister for Media, stated in a statement that Austria will continue to prepare its laws so that they can be implemented immediately after the 12-month suspension period ends. He also emphasized that "a European problem requires a united European response."
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