The European Commission confirmed today that it has received the letter from the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, addressed to the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in which action at the EU level is requested to protect children online.

The Commission’s spokesperson, Thomas Regnier, emphasized that the EU supports member states when they set age limits for social networks, such as Greece, which has already implemented age verification procedures and is considered a pioneer in this field. The Commission underlines the need for action at EU level to ensure uniform application of the rules. However, it notes that no additional obligations can be imposed on platforms beyond those provided for by the Digital Services Act (DSA), in order to maintain the cohesion of the single digital market.

As the spokesperson pointed out, “when a draft law exists, we expect it to be notified to us, as it could affect the functioning of the single market.” So far, however, no such notification has been made by any member state.

In this context, as Thomas Regnier explained, a special expert panel is operating, which will develop a harmonized framework at EU level. This group met recently for the first time and will meet again during April, with its recommendations expected in the summer, which will guide the Commission on any additional measures.

The Commission will assess the compliance of large platforms through the implementation of age verification systems, which will serve as a benchmark. Platforms must ensure that their measures are at least equally effective; otherwise, sanctions may be imposed.

In this way, the EU seeks to combine two key objectives: protecting children and avoiding fragmentation of the single digital market, while ensuring that regulations are practical, effective for platforms, and aligned with the priorities of member states.

At the same time, the discussion on a digital “age threshold” is now expanding beyond Europe, with France aiming to take a leading role in promoting an international standard to ban the use of social media below a certain age limit. The issue is expected to be raised at the G7 summit in mid-June, while similar initiatives are already being considered by Spain, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Australia.