Commission pauses national social media bans for children for 12 months

The freeze covers Austria's planned minimum age of 14, as well as draft laws in Greece and Denmark, until 28 July 2027. Vienna has called the move unacceptable.

The European Commission has put national bans on social media for children, including Austria's planned restrictions, on hold for 12 months. The decision, taken on 29 October 2026, covers any draft national laws that overlap with the future EU Kids Act, the Commission's proposed law setting common rules for children's use of social media. Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said member states should now focus on the negotiations of the EU Kids Act.

The pause runs until 28 July 2027. That means Austria's minimum age can enter into force at the earliest at the end of that month, without risking an infringement procedure. Greece and Denmark face the same wait. Both governments have said they do not want to wait for the EU-wide law. They continue to pursue their own bans.

Austria notified its draft law to the Commission in July. It is an amendment to the Audiovisual Media Services Act, Austria's rules for audiovisual media, and sets a minimum age of 14 for platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Vienna asked Brussels to check whether the draft is compatible with EU law. The Commission justified the standstill by the need to avoid fragmenting the single market, saying platforms could not comply with a patchwork of different national rules, and called it absolutely necessary to prevent that fragmentation.

On 17 September 2026 the Commission proposed the KIDS Act, a law for minors that would apply across the EU. The draft bars children under 13 from social media, restricts access for those under 15, and sets an EU-wide minimum age of 15 for opening an account. It also puts safety duties on platforms, covering video games and AI companions. Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, said the reversed burden of proof, under which providers must show their services are age-appropriate, puts parents back in the driving seat.

In Vienna, State Secretary Alexander Pröll called the Commission's move unacceptable. "It is unacceptable for Brussels to block member states from enacting national laws without presenting a completed European solution of its own," he said. In the European Parliament, Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, a French member, said the Commission must itself step up the pace if it asks member states to put their initiatives on hold, because children have no more time to lose.