Strong support for age restrictions on social media is emerging across Europe, according to a new survey conducted in six major EU countries, as governments and European institutions push forward with similar measures.

According to European Pulse by Politico, around 75% of citizens believe that states should impose a minimum age for social media use.

Majority supports age limit at 16
Half of respondents said the age limit should be set at 16, while 25% suggested a threshold between 13 and 15 years old.

Only 4% believe there should be no restrictions at all, while 22% think responsibility should lie exclusively with parents.

Plans advancing at European level
The survey comes as several European governments move to limit minors’ access to social media.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and France’s President Emmanuel Macron have both backed bans, with Sánchez describing the need to protect minors from the “digital Wild West.”

In Greece, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that a ban on social media use for children under 15 will be implemented from January 2027, while the European Commission is considering setting a unified age limit across the EU.

Reactions and concerns
Despite broad support, there are also objections. Critics argue that such measures may not effectively protect minors and could infringe on their rights.

In fact, 371 experts in security and data protection described the bans as “dangerous and socially unacceptable” in an open letter earlier in March.

Differences between countries
The highest levels of support were recorded in Italy (84%) and Poland (83%), followed by Belgium (76%).

In Germany and Spain, 70% of citizens support restrictions, while France shows more divided opinions, with 69% in favor and 31% against.

Italy also has the highest support for a 16-year age limit (64%), followed by Spain (55%), Belgium (54%), Poland (53%), France (48%), and Germany (39%).

Germany also records the highest share of citizens completely rejecting restrictions, at 7%.

New regulations under discussion
Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz has expressed cautious support for a proposal to ban social media use under the age of 14, while the German government has tasked a group of experts with submitting recommendations in the coming months.

The survey was conducted between March 13 and 21 among 6,698 adults in Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Poland, and Belgium, with results weighted to reflect age, gender, and geographic distribution.