VIENNA-Austria will soon ban social media use for children under 14, citing platforms’ addictive algorithms, spread of misinformation, glorification of violence, and unrealistic beauty standards.
Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler said these platforms are “deliberately designed to create dependency,” making parental oversight nearly impossible. The government aims to pass the law as early as this summer.
The measure targets platforms that “generate profits through harmful engagement.” However, coalition parties have not yet agreed on age-verification methods.
A recent nationwide trial-spanning three weeks and involving 72,000 students-revealed significant withdrawal symptoms and heightened awareness of social media’s negative effects, according to Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr.
Alongside the ban, Austria will introduce a mandatory school subject titled “Media and Democracy” to teach students how to identify falsehoods and resist anti-democratic influence.
The far-right FPÖ party condemned the move as a “frontal assault on freedom of expression,” claiming it masks an effort to silence alternative voices online.
Austria joins France, Spain, and Denmark in pushing for a digital age of majority. Meanwhile, U.S. courts recently held Meta and Google liable for contributing to teen depression through Instagram and YouTube.