Newsroom
At the European Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Children in Copenhagen, Ursula von der Leyen spoke about the impact digital platforms and artificial intelligence are having on young people across Europe. She praised Denmark for taking an early interest in both the benefits and dangers linked to technology in schools and online life, describing the country as one of the leaders in debates about child safety on social media.
Von der Leyen acknowledged that digital technology can help young people learn, communicate and find support, while also encouraging creativity and connection. At the same time, she warned that children face serious psychological risks online because they are still developing emotionally. According to her speech, constant exposure to likes, shares and online comparison can contribute to anxiety, depression, addiction, self-harm, cyberbullying and other harmful outcomes.
She argued that many of these problems come from platform business practices designed to maximise user attention and profit. The President referred to research from a Danish children’s rights organisation showing that almost half of the material viewed by children on social media contains advertising. She also criticised online games and targeted advertising systems that encourage excessive spending or exploit insecurities among teenagers.
The speech included strong criticism of major technology companies. Von der Leyen said the European Union should not accept addictive platform features or the circulation of harmful material involving minors. She pointed to investigations involving TikTok, Meta and X under the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act. These cases include concerns about endless scrolling, autoplay systems, age verification failures and AI-generated abusive material.
Von der Leyen said the European Commission has created a panel of specialists on online child protection and is considering legislation that could introduce a delay before children gain access to social media platforms. She explained that several EU member states, including Denmark, already support introducing minimum age requirements. She framed the debate around whether social media companies should be allowed direct access to children during key stages of development.
The President also referred to Australia, which introduced a minimum social media age of 16. She said the policy has reduced the number of children using certain platforms, although enforcement problems remain because some companies still encourage young users to bypass restrictions.
A major part of the discussion focused on age verification technology. Von der Leyen announced that the EU has developed a privacy-focused verification app that will soon launch in Denmark before being integrated into European digital wallet systems. The tool is open source and based on technology previously used for Europe’s COVID certificate system.
She stressed that age limits alone are not enough and argued that technology firms must take responsibility for the safety of their products. Comparing social media platforms to car manufacturers, she said companies should build protection into their services from the beginning rather than placing the burden on parents or children. She added that upcoming EU legislation, including the Digital Fairness Act, will target manipulative online design practices and harmful engagement systems.
The speech concluded with a call for stronger media education across society. Von der Leyen said children need to understand how algorithms, misinformation and AI-generated content work so they can think critically online. She argued that parents, teachers, journalists and civil society groups all have responsibilities in helping young people develop these skills while protecting their wellbeing in the digital age.
