The European Commission has proposed a ban on social media access for those under the age of 13.

Arts, Culture and Communications Minister Patrick O’Donovan told Lunchtime Live today that he welcomes today’s proposal from the European Commission.

“Today is a very, very positive day in terms of the agenda that I started in January,” said Mr O’Donovan.

Mr O’Donovan said that he is in full support of the new legislation that will be published tomorrow. He is due to meet the European Commission vice president in the coming days. 

The guidelines for the new legislation will include a ban on social media for under 13 year olds. 13-14 year olds will have limited social media under the supervision of parents while15 to 17 year olds will have access permitted. Platforms will also have to provide significantly stronger safety by design products.

The tech industry will have to prove that the product is safe before it’s put onto the market. Mr O’Donovan said that right now the burden is on the individual to prove that the product is safe, this will not be the case anymore.

“I think that for too long, to be quite frank about it, the industry was allowed to self-regulate and then industry was given guidelines. But now, very firmly, the proposals that we have been advocating for, which is safety by design,” he said. 

Mr O’Donovan referenced data from 2026 which revealed that “on average, some young people are spending 86 full days, 24-hour days per annum.”

“We know that it is bad for your health, we know that it is highly addictive,” he said.

“Our parents are very busy, they have a lot going on in their lives, and they need the support of government and regulators,” the Minister told Andrea Gilligan.