On 12 May 2026, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a social media delay for children and announced a new age verification app, speaking at the European Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Children in Copenhagen. She argued that tech companies' business models treat children's attention as a commodity, leading to risks such as depression, anxiety, and exploitation, and that Europe has the power to regulate.
Von der Leyen outlined concrete proposals, including a possible legal proposal this summer for a social media delay, depending on the findings of a Special Panel of experts on Child Safety Online established by the Commission. She noted that almost all EU Member States call for an assessment of a minimum age for social media, with Denmark and nine others already wanting to introduce one, and the European Parliament supporting the idea. She cited Australia's minimum age of 16 as a model but acknowledged implementation challenges.
The President also announced that the Commission has developed an age verification app, which will be rolled out in Denmark by summer. Built on the success of the European COVID App, it is open source, privacy-compliant, and works on any device. The Commission is working with Member States to integrate it into digital wallets.
Von der Leyen reiterated enforcement actions under the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA), including proceedings against TikTok for addictive design, Meta for failing to enforce age 13, and X for Grok's role in child sexual abuse material. She confirmed that cases with Apple and Meta have been closed, with investigations ongoing against Google. She also announced that the Digital Fairness Act later this year will target addictive and harmful design practices such as attention capture and subscription traps.
The speech contained concrete proposals (social media delay, age verification app, Digital Fairness Act) and measurable objectives (legal proposal by summer, app rollout by summer). Policy orientation is towards stronger regulation of tech platforms, increasing EU powers over digital markets, and prioritizing child protection over business interests. On foreign policy, the speech is assertive towards tech companies, demanding compliance with EU rules.
EU tech companies face new compliance costs for age verification and design changes (moderate negative). Children and parents benefit from reduced exposure to harmful content and addictive designs (major positive). National authorities gain new enforcement tools but face implementation burdens (moderate positive). EU civil society and NGOs see their advocacy reflected in policy (positive). The cleavage is between child protection and business profitability, with a clear tilt towards protection.