European lawmakers are urging a significant overhaul of how young people are protected online, calling for a mandatory digital minimum age of 16 for social media and AI-driven companion apps unless parents give explicit consent. The proposals, issued by the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO), argue that current safeguards do not go far enough to address the scale of risks facing children on today’s platforms.
At the heart of the recommendations is a push to crack down on “addictive design.” Lawmakers argue that features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, dark patterns, and engagement-driven notifications have normalised environments that are not only hard for young users to navigate, but actively designed to keep them online longer. The committee says these systems exploit children’s developing self-regulation skills, leaving them especially vulnerable to unhealthy screen habits, exposure to harmful content, and algorithmic reinforcement loops.
The proposals also call for stricter regulation of loot boxes and gambling-style mechanics within games and apps. Although many countries have already launched investigations or introduced guidelines, these features remain widely accessible to teens across Europe, often blurring the line between play and betting. IMCO argues that without consistent rules, young users remain exposed to financial risks and manipulative incentives that are “inappropriate for their age and cognitive development.”
Perhaps the most pointed criticism from lawmakers concerns enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA). While the landmark legislation was designed to improve platform accountability across the EU, the committee warns that enforcement remains uneven. Large platforms, they argue, continue to use design patterns and recommendation systems that contribute to addictive behaviours, even though the DSA requires enhanced protections for minors.
The committee is now pressing the European Commission to apply the DSA more aggressively and introduce clearer guidance on what constitutes a safe, age-appropriate user experience. This could include rethinking interface design, limiting profiling of minors, reducing algorithmic amplification of risky content, and ensuring that “high-risk” features are either disabled or heavily restricted for under-16s.
If the proposals move forward, they could reshape youth access to digital services across Europe, setting a precedent for raising age thresholds and redefining how online environments are structured. The EU’s stance mirrors a broader global trend: regulators in the US, UK, and Australia are all exploring age checks, addictive design bans, and new frameworks for youth digital wellbeing.
For families and educators, these recommendations signal a shift from advisory guidance to potentially enforceable, system-level change. Rather than putting responsibility solely on parents and children to manage risks, policymakers are turning their attention to the product decisions that shape online behaviour in the first place.
Whether these measures advance into law is still uncertain, but the message is clear: the EU expects platforms to prioritise child safety over engagement metrics, and it is prepared to mandate that shift if voluntary progress continues to stall.
