WARSAW, Poland: Poland is moving forward with legislation that would prohibit children under 15 from using social media, Education Minister Barbara Nowacka said on Friday.
Under the proposed rules, social media platforms would be obligated to verify users’ ages, and non-compliance could result in financial penalties. The law is expected to come into effect by early 2027.
“We are witnessing a decline in young people’s mental health and intellectual abilities,” Nowacka said, noting that the exact level of fines is still being finalized, according to Bloomberg News.
Several European countries, including Denmark, Greece, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom, are considering similar restrictions, amid growing concerns that social media can be addictive and detrimental for minors.
The UK government recently indicated it is exploring protective measures, following Australia’s implementation of similar rules last December, according to Reuters.
Poland’s proposal may face pushback from US tech companies such as Meta and Elon Musk’s X, which have previously resisted age-related restrictions.
Spain is also advancing legislation to block teenagers under 16 from social media platforms, requiring robust age-verification systems, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced in early February.
His government has expressed concern over the exposure of young users to hate speech, pornography, and false information online.
“Our children are navigating spaces they were never meant to face alone. That ends now,” Sanchez said at the World Government Summit in Dubai. “We aim to shield them from the digital Wild West.”
Meanwhile, a high-profile civil trial in Los Angeles involving Meta and YouTube began Monday, potentially setting a precedent for the liability of social media companies.
Plaintiff attorneys argue the platforms “engineered addiction” in children, with lawyer Mark Lanier telling the jury, “These are two of the richest corporations in history who deliberately created addictive patterns in young users’ brains.”
