European Commission opens call for safer social media platforms for young users

The European Commission has published a call for proposals to develop and test safer and more inclusive features for new social media platforms aimed at young users.

The call, published on 29 June 2026, is part of a €1.48 million pilot project. It will support work on European social media services that focus on user safety, mental health, privacy, accessibility, and ease of use.

The project is expected to involve young people from different countries and backgrounds in the design and development process. This includes young people with disabilities and neurodivergent young people.

The Commission says the aim is to support at least one protocol-based service centred on the needs of young users. A protocol-based service allows different apps or platforms to communicate through shared technical rules. This can give users more choice over how they connect, where their data is stored, and how content is moderated.

The call also reflects wider EU efforts to support alternatives to dominant social media platforms. The Commission says the project should contribute to a European ecosystem of apps that gives users more control and is aligned with values such as privacy, autonomy, and wellbeing.

Activities under the project will include co-creation with young Europeans, analysis of market conditions for European social media, development or upgrading of open and next-generation platforms, and an uptake strategy to help the services reach users.

The selected project will also be expected to collect lessons from the process and produce recommendations for future action on European social media.

The call is open to entities with experience in youth engagement, software development, and scaling businesses or non-profit initiatives.

Applications will be open from 30 July to 6 October 2026. An information session for interested applicants is scheduled for 30 July.