Empowering children online: the Council of Europe is sceptical of blanket social media bans

The Council of Europe backed stronger online-safety rules for children and adults, but warned against blanket social media bans.

It said broad age-based restrictions can push minors toward less safe spaces and should not curb lawful speech.

The guidance favors targeted, evidence-based measures, plus digital-citizenship and offline safety efforts.

It offers policymakers an alternative to sweeping bans as more countries debate tighter rules for minors online.