Austria is planning to introduce a new law to prevent children below the age of 14 from accessing social media.
“We will no longer stand by and watch as these platforms make our children addicted and, in many cases, ill,” Vice Chancellor and Media Minister Andreas Babler said on Friday.
Although the government continues to support the goal of EU-wide regulation, this could still take some time, Babler said. The government has therefore decided to introduce its own social media ban.
The coalition of the conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the liberal Neos does not plan to draw up a list of banned platforms and apps. Instead, the age restriction will apply generally to platforms with certain characteristics, the vice chancellor said.
These include, for example, algorithms that are addictive or increase online usage time, or applications that expose children to sexualized violence.
To implement the social media ban, a two-stage online age verification system is to be introduced, in which no personal data will be shared. The government intends to draft legislation for the planned measures by the end of June.
In addition, the government announced an expansion of teaching in the areas of online media literacy and artificial intelligence in schools. To make room for these, lessons in Latin and foreign languages are to be slightly reduced.
Last week, EU leaders reaffirmed their intention to press ahead with an age limit for online platforms including TikTok and Instagram.
The member states are calling on the European Commission to enforce the Digital Services Act and the associated guidelines for the protection of minors. The latter is considered the most likely route to introducing an effective age limit for platforms.