Kristina Kallas against bans for children on social media. Estonia is going against the grain

The European Union should focus on regulating large social media platforms rather than banning minors, Kallas said today.

European countries such as France, Denmark and Greece are introducing further regulations aimed at discouraging teenagers from using social media, citing risks to young people's mental health. According to the European Pulse survey conducted by POLITICO in the six largest EU countries, as many as three-quarters of respondents support bans on the use of social media.

Estonia is the only EU country that openly opposes such bans on minors.

Banning children's access to social media “will not really solve the problems” and “children will very quickly find ways to circumvent the ban and continue using social media,” says the Estonian minister.

— In my opinion, we should not hold children responsible for the harm resulting from the use of social media or encourage them to self-regulate, Kallas said during the European Pulse Forum organized by POLITICO in Barcelona. “The responsibility should lie with governments and corporations,” she added.

— Europe pretends to be weak in the face of large American and international corporations, but this is only an appearance, Kallas said. She called on the European Union to “really seize that power and start regulating big American corporations.”