KDH Proposes Social Media Ban for Under-16s in Slovakia

Bratislava, 14 May (TASR) - Opposition Christian Democrat (KDH) MPs want to create a safer digital environment for children and have submitted a bill in Parliament to that effect, aiming to improve the protection of minors on social media platforms, TASR learnt on Thursday. The proposal seeks, among other measures, to introduce a minimum age for children to be able to access social networks. It also aims to establish effective mechanisms for reporting harmful content. "Data show that excessive use of social media at a young age, up to 16 years old, causes serious problems that may manifest themselves as anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, concentration disorders or self-harm. Our proposal is based on data and real science. Through this proposal we want to support and restore real relationships among young people. We want to restore their attention so that they aren't disoriented or unable to concentrate, and we want their brains to develop properly and optimally," one of the sponsors of the bill, Peter Stachura (KDH), declared at a press conference on Thursday. The new law would introduce several changes. It would ban children under the age of 16 from creating and using accounts on social media platforms. "The minimum age of 16 is based on Article 8 of the GDPR, which allows member states to set the age of digital consent between 13 and 16 years. Slovakia is choosing the highest permissible threshold in line with developmental psychology, international trends and a European Parliament resolution from November 2025. It is explicitly stated that parental consent will not override this restriction, adopting the Australian model of a hard ban without an exceptional consent clause," the sponsors added. KDH also wants the proposal to set safe design requirements for platforms accessible to minors aged 16 to 18. "The proposal exhaustively lists minimum safe design elements: default private settings, a ban on publicly displaying contact and location data, simple blocking and reporting tools, the option of non-profiled content recommendations, time-use warnings, and access to help in cases of grooming, cyber-bullying, self-harm and eating disorders," explained KDH. The new law would also ban profile-based advertising and predatory commercial practices targeting minors. It would introduce effective mechanisms for reporting harmful content and contacts, and establish the right to erase one's digital footprint. mf/df