Teenagers in Europe may soon face tighter restrictions when trying to create social media accounts, as the European Union considers new regulations that would limit access to users under the age of 15.
The proposal, still in discussion, is driven by mounting concerns among parents, educators, and child safety experts over online bullying, misinformation, and the circulation of child sexual abuse material on social platforms. However, officials admit that enforcing such restrictions remains a technical challenge – especially when it comes to verifying users’ ages.
Ingrida Lauciuvienė, a mother of five in Vilnius, said her younger children are growing up in a completely different digital environment than their older siblings.
Her older kids didn’t even have phones during their teenage years, she said, but the younger ones already know how to browse the internet. As a precaution, the family enrolled their 13-year-old son in a school where phone use is banned.
“This is a major parenting challenge for our generation,” Lauciuvienė added. “My husband wants strict limits, while I think we should allow some controlled use.”
Parents and child protection advocates emphasise the urgent need for stricter oversight of teen social media use.
“A few years ago, the majority of harmful content online involved child pornography. Now, we’re seeing a rise in cyberbullying and violent content,” said Kristina Mikoliūnienė, a board member at Lithuania’s Communications Regulatory Authority.
Police spokesman Ramūnas Matonis noted a disturbing trend of teens recording and sharing abusive or violent behaviour online.
“There’s a trend of filming rule violations – sometimes even acts of violence – and posting them publicly or in private groups, often for laughs or mockery,” he said.
France passed a law two years ago requiring parental consent for anyone under 15 to use social media platforms, and similar measures are now being debated across the EU.
“Young people must have their parents’ approval to open social media accounts,” said Goda Klimavičiūtė, an LRT correspondent in France.
However, enforcement of that law has stalled.
“It’s still easy to bypass because there’s no reliable method to verify a child’s age or confirm parental consent,” Klimavičiūtė explained.
Australia is also debating stricter social media limits, proposing a minimum age of 16. In parallel, the country has already introduced phone bans in schools to reduce distractions and promote healthier habits.
“There’s better focus in class, and even health benefits – students now spend breaks being active instead of glued to their screens,” said Jovita Žėkaitė-Maconko, a criminologist and lecturer at Vilnius University.
Still, students have expressed concerns.
“Some say they feel isolated, unable to communicate with their parents during the day or resolve personal issues without involving school administrators,” Žėkaitė-Maconko noted.
She supports limiting teen access to social media but stressed that education and proper guidance are equally important.
Meanwhile, Lithuania’s Communications Regulatory Authority is exploring age verification tools using digital identification.
“Just as children must show a passport at the border, they should be able to present a digital document in the online world,” said Mikoliūnienė. “It’s about proving they’re eligible for what they’re trying to access.”
On average, teenagers in Lithuania spend up to five hours a day in front of screens, according to data from Vilnius University.
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