Netherlands and Spain call for common EU rules on social media access

The Netherlands and Spain have submitted a joint proposal to the European Commission for an EU-wide minimum age for social media. The Dutch government announced the proposal on 11 September 2026, citing concerns about children’s exposure to harmful content and addictive platform design.

The proposal would combine an age threshold with a broader assessment of whether digital services are safe for children. Platforms that can demonstrate compliance with the required safety standards could be exempted from the age restriction. The Netherlands has suggested that its Children’s Rights Impact Assessment and existing obligations under the Digital Services Act could provide a basis for such assessments.

Age verification would form another part of the proposed framework. The Dutch government says verification should be effective while protecting privacy, with systems confirming whether a user meets the relevant age threshold without collecting unnecessary personal information.

The two governments have also called for the European Commission to examine whether any restrictions are necessary and proportionate. This assessment would take into account potential implications for privacy, data protection and freedom of expression.

The Netherlands supports a single EU framework rather than separate national approaches. Its government argues that social media services operate across borders and has already committed, through its 2026–2030 coalition agreement, to pursuing an enforceable Europe-wide minimum age of 15 for social media while platforms remain insufficiently safe.

The proposal also seeks to promote the development of safer digital services for children. Rather than focusing only on restricting access, the Netherlands and Spain want to support online environments that are suitable for younger users.

The initiative comes as EU member states consider different approaches to children’s access to social media, including varying age thresholds, parental-consent requirements and age-verification systems. The Netherlands and Spain are proposing a common EU approach, while linking access restrictions to broader requirements for child safety and privacy.