The Austrian government coalition announced that it will bring a bill to Congress before the end of June with the purpose of restricting access to social networks for minors under 14 years of age. a decision that is part of the growing European discussion about the impact of these platforms on the health of children and adolescents.
The Minister of Education, Christoph Wiederkehr, explained in Vienna that the initiative seeks to protect the development of minors in a digital environment that, he noted, It has profound effects on their emotional well-being and daily habits, which has led the Executive to promote a clear limitation by age.
The official maintained that there is sufficient evidence to consider that the intensive use of social networks generates dependency and alters the mental health of young people. which is why the Government decided to advance a regulation that establishes concrete barriers while educational support mechanisms are designed.
According to information from EFE, The project also contemplates adjustments to the educational system with an expansion of content related to the media, democracy, computing and artificial intelligence, subjects that would begin to be taught from the 2027/28 school year in partial replacement of traditional subjects.
The educational reform would include cuts in Latin classes and in some cases in the second foreign language other than English, which in the Austrian system is usually French, Spanish or Italian, with the aim of freeing up academic space for areas considered priorities in digital training.
The package of measures was presented as a broad strategy that seeks to give families and students tools to understand the digital environment and make informed decisions about its use, rather than just a ban.
For his part, the Secretary of State for Digitalization, Alexander Pröll, noted that age verification will be carried out using technologies that allow information to be confirmed without compromising the privacy of users, a sensitive point in the European debate.
The initiative places Austria in line with other countries such as Spain, France, Greece and the United Kingdom, where regulations are also being studied to limit access to social networks for minors. in the middle of a discussion that combines public health, education and digital rights.
