European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen “said something we have long supported: social media are not toys, and the protection of our children cannot be left to platform algorithms or to a patchwork of 27 national rules. What is needed is a uniform and binding European law.” This is the comment of Sandro Gozi, Renew Europe MEP and secretary general of the European Democratic Party, on the guidelines for protecting minors online presented today by the Commission president.

“It is positive,” Gozi adds, “that the Commission has taken into account the different experiences and sensitivities across member states. A minimum age of 13 could be a useful starting point, but we now need to see how a gradual, age‐based access system will work in practice. We will evaluate the legislative proposal on its merits.”

“Europe has already shown with the Digital Services Act that rules can be created and enforced. If there is political will, we can move quickly. There is no algorithm that overrides this: our children come before the profits of Big Tech,” he concludes.