Trusted Reviews is supported by its audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

Teens could be banned from Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram in 2016

Teenagers have enough to worry about without being shunted off social media too…

Anyone under the age of 16 could be banned from social media services, under newly reformed EU proposals.

The European Union is considering new regulations that would see teens shut out of platforms like Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram.

If they want to access the services, they’ll need to seek parental permission first.

The law is already enforced for users under the age of 13, a mandate that’s upheld by Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Google, and Instagram.

However, the newly amended proposals will see that age cap lifted to 16, bringing millions more under the ban’s umbrella.

The law will be debated over starting on Tuesday, and will be voted on this Thursday.

If the parliament decides to go ahead with the proposals, the law could be ratified as soon as 2016.

Countries are then given two years to comply with the new laws, as noted by the Telegraph.

Any company found in breach of enforcing the legislation could be fined up to 4% of its annual turnover.

Related: Best Web Browser 2015

While the proposals are with the safety of teenagers in mind, several groups have attacked the move, including the Diana Award Youth Board.

“The higher age threshold may incentivise children between the ages of 13 and 15 to lie about their age,” writes the DAYB, in an open letter. “Children aged 13 and above have long accessed online services; an artificial and sudden change to this threshold will likely result in many children between the ages of 13 and 15 lying about their ages in order to continue accessing online services – rather than asking their parents to consent.”

It continues: “This development would make it far more difficult for online services to offer children age-appropriate guidance and tools to ensure a safe and privacy-protective experience online.”

There’s also a petition against the amended regulation on Change.org.

What do you make of the proposals? Let us know in the comments.

Why trust our journalism?

Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.

Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.

author icon

Editorial independence

Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.

author icon

Professional conduct

We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.

Trusted Reviews Logo

Sign up and get the best deals straight to your phone

Skip the hunt - get the latest discounts delivered directly to WhatsApp by signing up to the Trusted deals Whatsapp Channel.

Get Access