The European Union has proposed measures to restrict social media use for children under 13.

In the EU, children under 13 will not be allowed to create social media accounts, and those aged 13 to 15 will use 'mini accounts' managed by their parents.

Even for teenagers aged 15 to 18, they will not be treated the same as adults; instead, safety measures appropriate for their age will be applied.

Of course, the law has not been finalized yet. It will need to be discussed among the 27 EU member states and the European Parliament, so it may take a while before it is actually implemented.

However, I am part of a generation that has witnessed how the internet has changed since its early days while living in the United States.

Maybe that's why I'm not particularly surprised to hear this news.

In fact, I feel like it's about time.

When I was young, parents were worried that kids were watching too much TV. They thought it was a big deal if you watched more than three hours of TV a day.

Looking back, TV was really a naive medium.

At least TV didn't analyze me.

It didn't keep a record of what I watched yesterday to suggest more stimulating programs today, nor did it calculate how much cartoon content I consumed to decide what video to show next.

Social media today is different.

Just watching one TikTok can make 30 minutes fly by.

The same goes for YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. Once one ends, the next one automatically plays.

It feels like I'm making a choice, but in reality, it doesn't even give me time to choose.

Even as an adult, I sometimes snap back to reality and think, "Why have I been watching this for 40 minutes?" And yet, I'm supposed to tell a twelve-year-old to self-regulate?

That's like putting twenty tubs of ice cream in the fridge and telling an elementary school kid to only have one spoonful a day.

Interestingly, platforms like Facebook and Instagram have always prohibited children under 13 from signing up.

However, the EU Commission's investigation pointed out that simply altering your birthdate can allow you to bypass age restrictions.

So, it's like having a sign that says 'No entry for under 13s' but no security guard present.

And if a problem arises, it's the parents' responsibility.

What a convenient business model.

They create services that keep kids wanting to watch, and if a child watches too much, it's the parents' fault for not managing it well.

Of course, just blocking access based on age doesn't solve the problem either.

A child who was vulnerable before turning 13 doesn't suddenly become a wise individual who understands algorithms the next day.

So ultimately, the key issue is not just age restrictions but the structure of the platforms themselves.

Child accounts should limit infinite scrolling, reduce stimulating recommendation algorithms, restrict usage time, and make it difficult for unknown adults to access.

That's why the EU talks about 'Safety by Design.' It means creating a safe environment from the start, assuming children will use it.

I really like this expression.

If a car company said, "Please have parents install the brakes themselves," it would be considered a crazy company.

Yet, internet companies have been using a similar logic for a long time.

We just create the platform.

It's up to families to manage if kids get addicted.

It seems like the good old days of making money off platforms are slowly coming to an end.