Minimum age of 15 for social media legally feasible, but implementation remains challenging
According to researchers at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), it is legally possible to introduce a minimum age of fifteen in the Netherlands for ‘unsafe’ social media without waiting for European legislation. Other European countries, such as France and Spain, are already working on similar national bans.
Nevertheless, the researchers recommend a joint European approach. The Netherlands cannot act independently against major international platforms such as TikTok or Instagram; enforcement authority lies exclusively with the European Commission.
Furthermore, age verification remains a significant obstacle. Verifying user age requires sharing additional personal data with platforms, which entails substantial privacy risks. Moreover, digital age verification is easily circumvented, as evidenced by the situation in Australia. Finally, the government must still establish clear frameworks to determine exactly when an app is classified as ‘unsafe’.