Across the European Union, Member States are discussing or adopting new measures restricting access to certain online services considered risky for children under a specified age ( ). In July 2026, the French Parliament voted on a national measure restricting access to social media for under 15 years old which was foreseen to enter into force in September 2026 and is pending a review following a negative decision of the Constitutional Court ( ). Several other Member States are well advanced in their process of adopting similar measures. The draft national laws were notified by France in April 2026 ( ) and in September 2026 ( ), Italy ( ), Greece ( ), Austria ( ), Norway ( ) and Belgium ( )to the Commission in the course of 2025 and 2026. Entry into force is expected for Greece and Austria in January 2027.
Consultative processes have also been set up in several Member States. In June 2026, Germany’s expert committee and Sweden’s inquiry concluded with recommendations respectively proposing a minimum age limit at 13 ( ) and of 15 ( ). In almost all other Member States, legislation has been announced by governments or is being discussed in national parliaments. Several Member States have also indicated a preference for action at European level. Figure 1 provides an overview of national developments; it includes the stage of the process, the ages being proposed, and whether parental consent is being considered ( ).
Figure 1: Overview of national developments as of 7 September 2026.
The legislations discussed at national level differ in several aspects including their scope, age limits and types of restrictions.
2.1.1. Differences in proposed scope
In terms of scope, some Member States, such as Greece ( ) and France ( ), define the restricted services as online platforms under the DSA that can be considered as an online social networking service as defined under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Norway is additionally considering the further criterion of “harmful” defined as “a service that, through its design, features or content, can be harmful to children's emotional, cognitive or health development or safety” to limit the scope of the access restrictions ( ). Austria, on the other hand, defines the scope of their restriction based on the definition of a VSP under the AVMSD which offers at least one functionality considered harmful to minors ( ). The law sets out a non-exhaustive list of such functionalities, the supervisory authority being empowered to identify others as appropriate. The draft notified by Italy proposes to restrict access to both social media services and VSPs. Belgium takes another approach combining a broad scope ‘intermediary services’ with a qualitative criterion of ‘negatively impact the physical, mental or moral development of minors’ similar to Norway. This criterion would be assessed by the Flemish Government which would then prepare a list of the services to fall within the scope of the age restriction ( ).
2.1.2. Differences in proposed age limits
In terms of age, the Greek and French draft legislation prohibits access to under-15s. In Norway, under the current draft, the age limit would be set at 16. Some Member States have also proposed different ages including 13 and 14 ( ). Additionally, allowing for a lower age limit with parental consent is discussed in for example Denmark and Greece ( ). It should be added that while some legislation relies on the actual age of the minor, some refer to the year in which the minor turns a certain age ( ).
Figure 2 Minimum age proposed or discussed by EU Member State as of August 2026
2.1.3. Differences in the proposed restrictions and additional measures
In terms of types of restrictions, national drafts refer to limiting “access”. It remains unclear whether this would focus on account creation, as suggested by the French first notified draft ( ), or if this would extend to overall access to a service. Account restrictions are different from an access restriction: an account restriction might not limit access to certain parts or content of the service which may be accessible without a log-in.
Some Member States are proposing and discussing legislation going beyond establishing a minimum age by also providing additional requirements regarding age assurance or obligations relating to safety-by design. Greece, for instance, requires that providers in scope apply appropriate, proportionate and reliable age verification methods, which can be supplemented by age estimation methods when deemed necessary ( ). Austria’s notified draft also outlines requirements for age verification including data minimisation, functional separation between the VSP and the age verification provider, non-traceability of the age credentials and interoperability amongst others ( ).
2.1.4. Legal uncertainty, compliance costs and an unequal level of protection for minors
In practice, the emergence of diverging national laws is already leading to a fragmented internal market. Access to a specific online service might be delayed in one Member State but not in others, depending on the scope of the legislation and its exemptions. Additionally, it might be restricted for different age groups and subjected to parental consent in only some Member States. The practical implementation of these national laws might also differ in terms of entry into force, application to access or accounts, specific requirements for age verification and enforcement frameworks.
Those diverging national measures impact the provision of digital services and possibly could extend in the future to other systems (such as certain chatbots), a market that is inherently cross-border in nature and operates across the European Union. It leads to significant compliance burdens for providers of such services and systems, including for certain small and micro enterprises which are included in the scope of some national measures. As large competitive advantages already exist, it creates an additional barrier for scaling-up and increases the competitive advantage for companies large enough to absorb such costs.
Furthermore, this patchwork of national measures gives rise to enforcement difficulties. Under the current legal framework, authorities from Member States may have to enforce the access restrictions of other Member States against providers established in their territory. This would require competent authorities to have knowledge and understanding of the measures taken by all other Member States, as well as multiply processes and procedures for enforcing restrictions.
Children will also face different levels of protection across the European Union, where they will be able to access different services at different ages, with a three-year gap between certain Member States, and under different circumstances. This sends contradictory messages to parents and children alike about the age-appropriateness of certain services and the risks associated with them. The lives of children may not be constrained to one Member State, as children might have families or friends living in a different Member State, or simply go to school or spend long periods of time in a different Member State than that in which they reside. This impacts the effective implementation of those measures, and the normative change sought. Peer pressure and social expectations will remain for children to join the online services concerned at a young age.
Overall, emerging national legislation will create a patchwork of access restrictions leading to a complex and uncertain regulatory environment for digital services and possibly other systems that could be affected in the future, creating an uneven level of protection for minors across the European Union, enforcement complexity and compliance costs.
