Austria is set to follow other countries in curbing young people’s access to social media. The three-party governing coalition plans to present a draft law by the end of June.
Austria’s government on Friday announced plans to ban social media use for children under 14, joining a growing number of countries introducing restrictions for young users.
“Today is a good day for children in our country,” Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler said at a news conference, adding that the risks of social media have been “ignored for far too long.”
“We will no longer stand by as these platforms make our children addicted and, in many cases, ill,” he said.
Babler also noted that social media exposes adolescents to “unrealistic beauty ideals, glorification of violence, misinformation, and manipulation.”
Austria sends 70 000 kids on a three‑week smartphone detox.
Alexander Pröll, a digitalization official in Chancellor Christian Stocker’s office, said “technically modern methods” will be used to verify users’ ages while respecting privacy. The details of the technical implementation are not yet finalized.
Babler emphasized that there will not be a list of banned platforms. Instead, the age restriction will generally apply to platforms that rely on addictive algorithms, generate profits and can harm children.
The Austrian government also plans to introduce a new school subject to strengthen media literacy among young people.
