MEPs propose bans on harmful practices like addictive design and gambling-like game features, and a minimum age of 16 for social media access.

Parliament debates and votes on a report calling for accelerating the enforcement of the EU Digital Services Act and the AI Act, while closing legal gaps to ensure online services are safe for minors to use. Sounding the alarm over the mental health risks and rising social media addiction among children and adolescents, MEPs want to ban the most harmful addictive practices for minors and for the EU to take action against persuasive technologies and practices such as targeted ads, influencer marketing, addictive design, loot boxes and dark patterns. The text proposes a common EU-wide minimum age threshold of 16 years for accessing social media platforms and the development of privacy preserving age assurance systems.

EP Plenary debate on the protection of minors online

EP Plenary Session - Child sexual abuse online: protect children, not perpetrators

EP Plenary Session - Voting session

IMCO - Protecting minors from sexualised AI content on TikTok and X/Grok: Implications under the DSA

EP Plenary session - Tackling AI deepfakes and sexual exploitation on social media by making full use of the EU’s digital rules

EP Plenary session - Protection of minors online

MEPs vote on : (26/02) GERMAIN BUDG Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers following an application from Belgium - EGF/2025/004 BE/Tupperware / (A10-0007/2026) CEPEDA, CUNHA IMCO/LIBE Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law / (23/02) VALET LIBE EU/Ecuador Agreement: cooperation between the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) and the Ecuadorian authorities competent for combatting serious crime and terrorism / (25/02) CREMER AFET Recommendation to the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy concerning an enhanced EU-Canada cooperation in the light of the current geopolitical context, including the threats to Canada’s economic stability and sovereignty

Voting Session

Henna VIRKKUNEN, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy and Marilena RAOUNA, Deputy Minister for European Affairs (Cyprus), close the debate. Parliament call for stronger and faster enforcement of EU laws to prevent AI tools from creating illegal sexual content. The debate with Council and Commission follows the latest scandal related to reports the social media platform X is facilitating the creation of sexually explicit images of women and children through its AI chatbot Grok. In recent weeks, the platform has been subjected to international condemnation, with several governments banning the platform and others launching investigations into this so-called “pornification” feature putting women and minors at risk of abuse.

Tackling AI deepfakes and sexual exploitation on social media: closing statements by Henna VIRKKUNEN, European Commissioner for Tech Sovereignty Security and Democracy and Marilena RAOUNA, Deputy Minister for European Affairs European Union (Cyprus)

MEPs debate on tackling AI deepfakes and sexual exploitation on social media. Parliament call for stronger and faster enforcement of EU laws to prevent AI tools from creating illegal sexual content. The debate with Council and Commission follows the latest scandal related to reports the social media platform X is facilitating the creation of sexually explicit images of women and children through its AI chatbot Grok. In recent weeks, the platform has been subjected to international condemnation, with several governments banning the platform and others launching investigations into this so-called “pornification” feature putting women and minors at risk of abuse.

Tackling AI deepfakes and sexual exploitation on social media: MEPs debate (part 2)

Tackling AI deepfakes and sexual exploitation on social media: MEPs debate (part 1)

Marilena RAOUNA, Deputy Minister for European Affairs (Cyprus) and Henna VIRKKUNEN, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, open the debate. Parliament call for stronger and faster enforcement of EU laws to prevent AI tools from creating illegal sexual content. The debate with Council and Commission follows the latest scandal related to reports the social media platform X is facilitating the creation of sexually explicit images of women and children through its AI chatbot Grok. In recent weeks, the platform has been subjected to international condemnation, with several governments banning the platform and others launching investigations into this so-called “pornification” feature putting women and minors at risk of abuse. This transcription if the result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Tackling AI deepfakes and sexual exploitation on social media: opening statements by Marilena RAOUNA, Deputy Minister for European Affairs European Union (Cyprus) and Henna VIRKKUNEN, European Commissioner for Tech Sovereignty Security and Democracy

This News items presents extracts from the debate with Council and Commission which follows the latest scandal related to reports the social media platform X facilitating the creation of sexually explicit images of women and children through its AI chatbot Grok. In recent weeks, the platform has been subjected to international condemnation, with several governments banning the platform and others launching investigations into this so-called “pornification” feature putting women and minors at risk of abuse. This transcription if the result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Tackling AI deepfakes and sexual exploitation on social media: extracts from the debate

Christel SCHALDEMOSE (S&D, DK), Rapporteur, holds a press conference on the protection of minors online. This transcription is the result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Press conference by Christel SCHALDEMOSE (S&D, DK), Rapporteur on the protection of minors online

This news item includes extracts from the European Parliament debate (25 November 2025) and vote (26 November 2025) on protecting minors online, along with a statement by rapporteur Christel Schaldemose. The debate highlighted concerns about the mental-health impact of social media, addictive design features and persuasive technologies. MEPs called for restricting targeted advertising, influencer marketing, loot boxes and dark patterns for minors, and proposed a common EU-wide minimum age of 16 to access social media platforms, supported by privacy-preserving age-assurance systems. The item features interventions from several MEPs and Commission representatives addressing the balance between child protection, parental responsibility, digital rights, privacy and platform accountability.

protection of minors online (T)

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