The Government of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, at the initiative of the Minister for Media, has reached a common position on regulating children's access to social media. A pioneering approach aimed at strengthening the protection of the youngest online and giving Belgium a strong, coherent voice at European level. This position is also intended to encourage other entities in the country to align themselves, so that Belgium can make concrete progress. “Several months ago, I launched the debate on banning young people's access to social media, not to ban it as a matter of principle, but to better protect them. I am pleased to see that many voices have joined this fight. Today, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation is taking a clear position to make the federal Government's regulatory work easier,” says the Minister for Media, Jacqueline Galant.
A common position based on 4 pillars:
Ongoing development of media literacy
For a policy to stand firm, it must walk on two legs: one is regulation, the other is media literacy. For the entire legislative term, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation affirms its determination to place media literacy at the heart of its policy to protect young people online. The aim is clear: to turn dangerous situations into understood, managed and controlled risks. This educational approach, tailored to each age group, will enable children and teenagers to gradually develop responsible digital habits, with the active support of teachers, parents and all education stakeholders.
Introducing a digital age of majority in Europe for access to social media
The Wallonia-Brussels Federation supports the introduction of an age limit for access to social media, as part of a well-considered and coordinated approach. It believes such a measure would be all the more relevant if harmonised at European level, based on objective criteria.
Establishing effective and widespread age-verification mechanisms
Discussions are underway at both European and national level on introducing age-verification mechanisms. The Wallonia-Brussels Federation is in favour of this while remaining attentive to how it is implemented in practice.
Establishing a European regulatory framework requiring major platforms to meet technical standards for safe, non-addictive and privacy-friendly interfaces
The Government is calling for the adoption of European standards that would require platforms (such as Meta, TikTok, etc.) to design digital environments suited to users' ages. The aim is to limit features designed to capture attention excessively, such as pop-up windows, autoplay videos or highly targeted content personalisation. This is about holding operators accountable by encouraging them to rethink their tools to better protect young people.
The Minister for Education, Valérie Glatigny: “We want to strengthen media literacy in our schools by giving both teachers and pupils the tools they need to make the most of new technologies, while taking into account the ethical, pedagogical and societal issues they raise. Raising awareness of and training in the thoughtful use of social media is one of our priorities, and the first strong measure in this direction will be the ban on recreational smartphone use at school, applicable from the next school year”