Bulgaria MP tables bill calling for age limits, age checks on social media

Bulgaria has joined the growing list of countries weighing age restrictions for major social media sites. A bill on the table would restrict social media to kids 16 and older.

The proposal comes from the GERB party, which lost the seat of government to the Progressive Bulgaria coalition in April elections. Radio Bulgaria quotes GERB MP Kostadin Angelov, who accuses social media platforms of turning society into “a herd without empathy” and exposing kids to a variety of harms online.

“Years ago, we worried about what might happen to our children in the streets. Today, we worry about what may happen to them on social media. A single message in a chat can hurt a child more than what they may experience at school,” Angelov says.

“This is a digital addiction that is equal to other addictions.”

The proposal references the potential for age verification offered by digital wallets, and in particular the EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet) scheme and related age verification app.

It suggests that the application should be developed by the Ministry of Electronic Governance in line with EU rules on digital identity. Per a report from Noinvite, it would prohibit users under 16 from accessing social media, and put certain safeguards on accounts of users between the ages of 16 and 18.

If adopted, the plan would also require age verification for existing accounts.

No keys to addictive social sites without license

As Member States work to meet the impending December deadline to make a digital wallet available to citizens, the EU’s governing body is busy making the case for online safety laws. ABC News quotes European Commission President Ursula von der Leyden, who emphasizes the “need to consider phased and gradual access for different age ranges, because childhood won’t wait and once it’s gone, we can never give it back.”

“Just as we don’t give our children keys to the car before they have their license, or we do not let them buy alcohol until they are legally allowed. We need to set the age at which they can, the children can, legally access social media.”

Last week, the Commission tapped the EU’s Digital Safety Act (DSA) in Meta’s direction, ruling that its addictive design features are in breach of the law, and warning that failure to disable them could result in fines.

Article Topics

age verification  |  Bulgaria  |  legislation  |  regulation  |  social media