00:01European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday the EU could propose a block-wide social media ban
00:08for children as early as this summer, amid mounting pressure from member states to strengthen online protections for minors.
00:17Support for stricter controls has grown in recent months, with France, Spain, Greece and Denmark leading calls for measures to
00:25shield children from what governments describe as addictive online platforms.
00:30We are witnessing the lightning speed at which technology is advancing and how it penetrates every corner of childhood and
00:37adolescence.
00:39And the discussions about a minimum age for social media can no longer be ignored, as you all know here
00:45in this room.
00:46Almost all EU member states call for an assessment on the need for it.
00:52Several EU countries are already pursuing national legislation, although the Commission has faced pressure to maintain a harmonized approach across
01:01the block's single market.
01:03One of the main challenges for the EU has been finding a common technical solution for age verification.
01:10Von der Leyen referred to an app modeled on the block's EU digital COVID certificate system.
01:15While the Commission has formally recommended the app to member states, several governments have reacted cautiously,
01:22cyber security experts have also raised concerns over potential technical vulnerabilities.
01:28UN ×©× Cook
01:32UN narrative
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