The tendency of the European Commission and separate member countries of the European Union to restrict social media may, at first glance, seem to be a very reasonable and timely measure to limit violent content, safeguarding children from harmful influences. However, beneath the guise of safety lies a desire for control, one that will undoubtedly not be welcomed by the public.
Back in December 2025, Australia passed a law banning social media for under 16. The prime minister rejoiced, while subtly hinting that all services must co-operate with the authorities in blocking accounts. Following Australia’s lead, the UK, when MPs sent a big letter to Downing Street, and French President Emmanuel Macron banned social media starting in September of this year. Poland and Slovenia are drafting laws restricting the use of social media for children under the age of 15 and requiring age verification. Denmark, Greece, the Czech Republic, Spain and Germany are also taking steps in this direction.
Although the problem of social media for teenagers supposedly exists, according to statements from major capitals, this has not been confirmed by research or science.
Researchers at the University of Manchester found that time spent playing games or on social media does not cause mental health problems in teenagers. They observed 25,000 children aged 11 to 14 over three school years, monitoring their self-esteem on social media, frequency of gaming, and emotional difficulties. They questioned participants about how much time they spent on TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and other social media or games on a typical weekday during the semester. As a result, no deviations or mental disorders were identified, which raises numerous questions.
Governments are forcing social platforms to strengthen age verification for users, but this has not been met with enthusiasm by the scientific community. This week, more than 350 academics in the field of security and privacy from 29 countries signed an open letter stating the ineffectiveness of current technological solutions.
In the European community, the system will work through the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet), scheduled to launch in December 2026. However, this is not a tool “just for age verification.” It is part of the European eIDAS 2.0 initiative, a centralised, interoperable digital identity system for the entire EU, which will result in every citizen receiving a wallet app where they can store their ID cards, driving licences, certificates and, soon, age data.
Platforms such as Meta, TikTok, X, and others will be required to verify them starting in 2027 – not only for social media, but also for logging in, transactions, and government services. What does this mean if we look a little deeper?
First, a mass surveillance system under the guise of protecting children. It starts with just “confirm your age,” but ends up as a full-fledged infrastructure tracking who, when, and where accesses which services. A single system for 27 EU countries is the optimal point of control. Secondly, it is the expandability of the system, thus providing access to banking services, shopping, remote work, travel – everything that European Union officials can think of. The government will decide who can use the internet and under what conditions.
Finally, perhaps most significantly, the head of the Electronic Communications Authority will impose fines and monitor compliance with the law. The Digital Services Act was vetoed by the president back in January 2026 precisely because it gave officials too much power over online content, namely censorship. Now they are trying to push it through in a different way – under the pretext of “protecting children.”
In summary, in order to avoid multi-million pound fines, platforms will have to implement this system, hammering the final nail in the coffin of online anonymity for everyone, not just children. Initially positioned as a means of protecting children from harmful influences on the internet, the system has turned into a cynical tool for manipulation. In a year or two, every European will have a digital chain of European Union structures on their phone, without which, alas, access to many services will be unavailable.
