European Union freezes social media ban on children in Austria for one year

The European Commission decided to suspend an Austrian draft law banning the use of social media platforms for children under 14 for 12 months, aiming to prevent a patchwork of national legislation before unified European rules for protecting minors online are adopted.

The European Commission decided on Thursday to suspend an Austrian draft law banning the use of certain social media platforms for children under 14 for 12 months. The move aims to prevent a proliferation of national legislation before unified rules for protecting minors online are adopted across EU member states. Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said the body decided to postpone national legislative projects that conflict or overlap with proposed unified European rules for 12 months, to allow EU institutions time to reach an agreement on the new legislation. He added that the current priority is to complete negotiations on the law for protecting children online and ensure effective implementation of European rules. The decision follows a draft law submitted by Austria to the Commission in July 2026, aimed at preventing children under 14 from using certain video-sharing and social media platforms, as part of measures to reduce risks associated with using these services.