EU seeks social media ban for teens under 16

European lawmakers want to stop teenagers under 16 years from using social media without parental consent but experts are wary of the move. If the European Parliament approves the legislation, it will be up to member states to set an age limit between 13 and 16 below which children will need explicit permission from parents to open social media accounts. The new EU data protection legislation, informally agreed upon and approved by the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties committee, is designed to create a uniform set of rules across the EU that are “fit for the digital era”. The rules would impact social media sites and messaging services such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. MEPs had initially pushed for an EU-wide legal limit of 13 years, which is the current situation on Facebook and a number of other services. However, some lawmakers wanted the age limit to be 16 years. The Civil Liberties Committee settled for a compromise after a last-minute amendment allowed member states to set the age limit below which teenagers would need parental consent. European advocacy groups have warned, however, that the new rules will limit teenagers’ educational and social opportunities...