Sweden welcomes EU social-media age limit but flags rights concerns

Sweden’s government welcomes considering a common EU age limit for social media, but says the proposal needs close scrutiny of children’s privacy and freedom of expression.

Its preliminary position, published on Friday, responds to the European Commission’s EU Kids Act proposal from September. The proposed restrictions have not become law.

Under the plan, social networks and video-sharing platforms meeting specified risk conditions could not let under-15s create their own accounts. Guardians could create restricted accounts for younger teenagers aged 13 and above, with age-appropriate functions and a maximum of one hour’s use a day.

The government supports stronger responsibilities for providers to make their services safe for children. But it wants a closer assessment of privacy, freedom of expression and information, and compatibility with Sweden’s constitution, particularly for children in vulnerable situations.

The wider proposal also covers online games, app stores and some AI systems. Age-verification measures would have to preserve privacy; the government’s summary says they must not identify the service’s users.

Sweden’s Culture Ministry plans consultations with affected organisations in November. The EU proposal still requires agreement through the ordinary legislative process.

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