Vienna officials have officially confirmed detailed plans to prohibit access to major social media platforms specifically for children under 14 years old starting very soon in Austria.
Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler led the announcement during negotiations within the conservative-led three-party coalition government in Austria recently.
It is not yet clear how or when the ban will be fully implemented across all digital services nationwide this year officially.
Announcing the plans, Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler of the Social Democrats said the government could not stand by and watch as social media made children addicted and also often ill.
He argued that politicians must protect children from harmful content similar to regulations on alcohol or tobacco products within the region now.
In future, children under 14 would be protected from algorithms that were addictive according to official government statements released recently today.
Other information providers have clear rules to protect young people from harmful content available on their existing platforms today globally and locally.
These standards should now be implemented in the digital space to ensure consistent safety measures for minors within Europe and beyond borders.
The state secretary for digitalisation expects a draft bill codifying the ban would be presented by the end of June this year officially.
Austria is the latest among a growing number of countries to consider restricting social media access for children citing concerns about potentially harmful content online widely.
Australia introduced a ban for under-16s in December, becoming the first nation to do so last year officially in their specific jurisdiction legally.
France's lower house approved a ban for under-15s in January before Austria followed suit with stricter age limits proposed now immediately.
In a post on X French President Emmanuel Macron thanked Austria for joining the movement regarding digital safety standards internationally among peers globally.
The UK government has launched a consultation on banning social media for under-16s while Denmark and Greece are also considering similar moves soon in their parliaments actively.
Spain and Ireland have proposed restrictions for under-16s alongside other European nations reviewing their current regulatory frameworks today very carefully.
Austrian Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr from the liberal Neos party stressed the harmful nature of social media requiring responsible usage education for youth everywhere.
The general secretary of the far-right opposition Freedom Party condemned the plans as a direct attack on young people's freedom of expression and information rights globally always.
However Austrian political analyst Thomas Hofer said the proposed ban seemed to be proving popular among parents and voters currently in recent polls showing support.
The coalition government's proposed social media ban has been agreed alongside controversial reforms to secondary schools which include more lessons on democracy and artificial intelligence technology specifically.
These educational changes also include a cut in the number of Latin lessons as part of broader curriculum adjustments across the national education system recently this week.
Such reforms aim to align school content with modern digital realities while maintaining traditional academic standards for students everywhere in Europe safely.
The bill is expected to contain technical details of an agreed mechanism to verify people's ages when accessing social media platforms legally and securely without delay.
Babler said Austria could use an EU system if it was ready but that it would pursue a national plan if not immediately available soon in the future.
Observers will watch how age verification mechanisms are technically implemented without hindering legitimate access for older users in the future market significantly.
