Thank you very much. Good morning. Indeed, a few months ago I commissioned the special panel on child safety online and today we are receiving this report. Dear Dr. Metcalfe, Professor Figat, I want to thank you very, very much, you and all of the panel for the hard work you've done in the recent months and the skillful steer that you have shown in this panel. It is the evidence we've been waiting for that you are delivering today. The panel examined what I believe is one of the greatest challenges confronting today's government. That is how to protect our kids online and how to establish a new norm in the future online world. The special panel has examined the benefits, the opportunities, but of course also the harms of social media algorithms on children. And I've been eagerly awaiting your recommendations and I'm looking forward to reading the report. We in Europe believe that parents bring up our kids and not predatory algorithms. To that end, let me be very clear, social media is not a toy. Well, ultimately it is up to the parents to decide when children get their first smartphone. What we already have is a consensus that there needs to be a start date for the age children can join social media. The status quo, a world where we continue to allow big tech unrestricted access to our children, will only consign another generation to more mental harm, addiction, and misery. And the data reveal the facts. Across Europe, young people now spend 4 to 6 hours a day on screens. 6 hours every day, this adds up to 20 years of their life. At the same time across Europe, almost 60% of young children have experienced emotional and psychosocial problems online. And day and night, parents too well see the consequences of this. That is loss of sleep, depression, anxiety, cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content, and all this is happening while our children's brains are still developing. We cannot expect children to succeed in a system that was never designed with their well-being in mind when they are most vulnerable.
I want to raise three points. My first point. The platforms were the architects of these systems. Now, they must prove that their services do no harm. In Europe, whoever develops a product is responsible for its safety. Car manufacturers must make their vehicles safe. We do not expect children to design their own safe safety seat belts. We do not expect parents to fit airbags at home. And the very same must be true for Big Tech. This is why we have the Digital Services Act so that providers remove harmful features, addictive algorithms, dark patterns, harmful content, or unwanted contacts. With our DSA, we have already taken strong action against TikTok's addictive design and just last week against Meta. Because the rule in Europe is safety by design. The platforms have a duty of care to their users, especially to their most vulnerable ones. So, when a young person reports a problem, providers must respond quickly and effectively. Children's rights must be taken serious and companies must be held accountable. So, we will continue to uphold our legislation and enforce our rules and change the system where it fails our children.
Now to my second point. It is very clear that we need age-appropriate restrictions to platforms. This is not about whether children can access social media. It is about whether and when social media can access our children. The question is no longer if children face risks online, but what can we do to give children a safer start online? And here our age verification app is one of the tools to get it done. It's easy to use. It is privacy-preserving and it is open source. This is basically about putting back the power into the hands of parents.
And that brings me to my third point today. The more we learn and the more we see the impact on our children, the stronger the argument becomes for social media start date. 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 legally access social media. This won't be foolproof, and change takes time. It will take time to embed the cultural change that is already taking shape in our society. Just as it took time to outlaw drink driving, just as it took time to use seat belts in the cars, great change never happens overnight. But when it comes to our safety, it is always worth it. And when it comes to social media, the research shows that timing matters. For example, we know that toddlers should have no exposure to screens at all and digital platforms. So, no screens under the age of three. Children should only be exposed to social media under the supervision of parents or caregivers or teachers, and time limited. Childhood is a period of extraordinary and delicate brain development. And during this stage, our children need time in the real world. Time to play, time to build friendships face-to-face, time to make mistakes, time to shape their own identity, their own personality before an algorithm shapes them instead. And I believe we need to give our children this time. If we want to protect childhood, we need to start where the risks are greatest. We need first to consider the type of platforms that are harmful to our children. And the evidence shows that this is mainly social media platforms, but also other providers with age-inappropriate and addictive features. So, think of it as social media plus. And when we have this clearly defined category, I believe we 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. This report comes during a unique window of opportunity. We have heard from parents, educators, experts, and young people themselves. We have heard the experience from partners like Australia, as well as our member states. Now, we need action on the European level. We will carefully review this report and the recommendations, and then we will present a proposal after summer. Thank you very much again.
