Estonia calls on the EU not to ban children from using social media.

Estonia’s digital minister told AFP on Monday that the EU should push social media platforms to make changes rather than banning children from using these apps, with the announcement of EU age restrictions just over a week away.

Estonia has been the only country to oppose the EU’s plan to restrict children’s use of social media, advocating instead for online platforms to implement changes.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to announce a social media ban on September 16; officials have indicated that age limits of 13 or 15 are currently under discussion.

However, Estonia—a nation with an advanced information technology sector—believes that tech giants bear the primary responsibility for ensuring their popular platforms are safer for minors.

Liisa-Ly Pakosta, Estonia’s Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs, stated: “Children are part of the information society, so it is the platforms that really need to make changes.”

“Platform design must be guided by the best interests and rights of children; this benefits society as a whole,” she said in a video interview.

Pacosta pointed out that the EU’s content law, the Digital Services Act (DSA), is a means for the EU to require platforms to make changes.

For instance, she believes that the recommendations issued by the EU to platforms under the Digital Services Act regarding the protection of children online should be legally binding.

The EU has already invoked the Act to launch investigations into Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, as well as TikTok, and has demanded that these platforms modify their “addictive” designs.