According to TechRadar, the European Parliament just voted 483-92 in favor of a resolution that could ban children under 16 from social media platforms. The vote happened this Wednesday, with 86 members abstaining. Danish social-democrat Christel Schaldemose is leading this push, which specifically references Australia’s world-first under-16 ban set to take effect December 10, 2025. The resolution calls on the European Commission to fix Europe’s “fragmented approach to age assurance” under the Digital Services Act. But here’s the kicker: everyone using social media would need to verify their age, not just kids. And the proposed method—sharing government IDs or facial photos with third-party providers—has already caused problems, like when 70,000 UK government ID photos leaked after a Discord provider got hacked.
The massive privacy tradeoff
So we’re facing a classic security versus privacy dilemma. Lawmakers want to protect kids from online harm, which is absolutely a valid goal. But the proposed solution creates a massive new vulnerability. Think about it: you’d be handing your most sensitive identification documents to random third-party companies that have already proven they can’t always protect that data. That UK Discord leak wasn’t some theoretical scenario—it actually happened. Now imagine that happening across every social platform in Europe. Basically, we’re trading one type of risk for another, potentially more dangerous one.
Why everyone’s turning to VPNs
Here’s where things get interesting. TechRadar notes that these privacy concerns are exactly why people are flocking to VPN services. When governments start demanding age verification, a good VPN becomes your first line of defense. And right now, many providers are offering early Black Friday deals, including their top-rated NordVPN at its lowest price of the year. It’s becoming clear that in this new landscape of mandatory age checks, protecting your digital identity isn’t optional anymore—it’s essential.
Where this is all heading
The European Commission now has to figure out how to implement this without creating a privacy nightmare. The Digital Services Act is already rolling out age verification, but only in a few countries so far. The big question is: can they develop a system that actually protects kids without exposing everyone’s personal data? Given the track record of third-party verification services, I’m skeptical. And with Australia’s ban coming in 2025, the pressure is on for Europe to move quickly. This could fundamentally change how we access social media—and what we’re willing to share to prove we’re old enough to scroll through TikTok.
