World News for Students of English

16-02-2026 07:00

European leaders discuss new rules to limit social media use for children. The head of the European Commission shows support for an EU age limit like the new Australian law.

In France, the government plans a ban for children under 15 from September. The president supports this plan. Spain and some other countries are also considering similar actions. Some governments want to ask for parental consent or limit access to certain platforms. Many politicians say social media can harm children’s health. They talk about sleep problems, poor attention, and weak concentration. They believe platforms make a profit from child use and should change their systems. New rules may force companies to check age and take more responsibility.

An expert in media law doesn’t support a full ban. He says children have communication rights and need contact with friends. Instead of a ban, he wants governments to control company business models and reduce addictive design. He believes strong regulation is better than a ban.

Difficult words: consent (permission to do something), concentration (the ability to think carefully about one thing for some time), addictive (something that makes you want to use or do it again and again).

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