Flanders to introduce new age rules for social media

The Flemish government plans to introduce compulsory age verification for social media platforms, to ensure no one under the age of 13 can access potentially harmful content.

“The trend is clear: more and more people are deeply concerned about the impact these platforms have on our society, and in particular on our children,” said Cieltje Van Achter (NVA), Flemish minister of Brussels and media.

“Social media must become safer for everyone. For too long, Big Tech has looked the other way. We will no longer accept that. You either comply with the rules of our market, you protect our children, or you’re out of the game.”

The age limit for creating a social media account is already 13, but the rule is often circumvented and there is no enforcement.

The government now wants to use a decree to force platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat to implement age verification. Because media is a matter of community competence, the age limit would also apply to Dutch-language social media accounts in the Brussels region.

There has long been a debate in Flanders about the risks and dangers of social media for young people, who may find themselves exposed to harmful content, unsafe interactions, addictive algorithms and disinformation, among other things.

Politically, opinions vary somewha. The governing parties Vooruit and CD&V have argued for a minimum age of 15 or 16, as was recently introduced in Australia. However, the N-VA has opposed such a total ban.

In the ‘Safe Online’ action plan, which was approved at the end of 2025, it had already been agreed not to introduce a ban until the age of 16, but to compel social media companies to better protect young people, including through proper age verification up to the age of 13 and by discontinuing addictive algorithms that lead to endless scrolling.

Now the Flemish government is taking the next step by clearly setting the age limit at 13 and adding enforcement. Specifically, the government wants to draw up a list of “harmful social media”. The platforms concerned will then be expected to provide effective age verification.

The intention is also for the Flemish media regulator, together with the European Commission, to play a role in monitoring compliance with the age limit.

“In this way, we will turn the current age limit of 13 into a genuine, enforceable standard,” they Flemish government said.

In principle, fines can be imposed at European level. If no changes are made, the platforms could ultimately be taken offline.

Minister Van Achter also referred to recent studies and even court rulings on the addictive aspects of online platforms. Platforms such as Facebook and TikTok are being held liable for the first time for the way their products are designed.