Austria will ban social media use for children under 14 following lengthy negotiations within the ruling coalition, the government said on Friday.
Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler said it is “almost impossible for parents to control their children’s consumption” on platforms designed to make users “deliberately dependent.”
Under the proposal, the government will also introduce a compulsory school subject—“Media and Democracy”—aimed at helping students distinguish truth from falsehood and identify attempts at what it calls anti-democratic influence.
Austria’s move comes amid a broader push across Europe to restrict children’s access to social media. Several EU countries, including France, Spain, and Denmark, have signalled plans to introduce a digital age of majority for online platforms.
