Dutch gov’t against national age limit on social media; Prefers EU regulation

Speaking in parliament, State Secretary Willemijn Aerdts argued that any minimum-age requirement for social media should be introduced across the European Union rather than by individual member states. According to Aerdts, a coordinated approach is needed to avoid a fragmented system in which different countries apply different age limits and regulations.

"More and more countries are looking into this," the D66 state secretary said. "When I started three months ago, there were nine countries considering it; now as many as 14 are." According to Aerdts, introducing the measure at the European level would ensure that the same rules apply in every country, making them harder to circumvent.

Aerdts said she supports the idea of a minimum age, for example, 15 years old. "At the moment, social media are not safe enough because of addictive algorithms and harmful content that is not being moderated sufficiently."

Any minimum-age requirement must be implemented in a privacy-friendly way, Aerdts said. "My nightmare scenario is children having to stand in front of their webcam with a passport."

The coalition agreement between D66, VVD, and CDA includes a proposal to set a minimum social media age of 15. A majority in parliament had previously also supported the introduction of such an age limit.

At the beginning of this year, the Trimbos Institute argued that introducing a minimum age does not necessarily make children safer online. It said responsibility for safety should rest with digital platforms rather than young users. Researcher Nastasia Griffioen added that children tend to bypass restrictions regardless, and warned that prohibitions could make it harder for them to seek help when they encounter problems online.