Teenagers under 16 face being banned from Facebook and email under EU laws

Last-minute changes to data protection regulations could mean many internet services requiring parental consent

Provided by The Telegraph Teenagers under 16 face being banned from Facebook and email under EU laws

Teenagers under the age of 16 could be banned from Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and email without parental permission under last-minute changes to EU laws.

The European parliament is on the verge of pushing through new data protection laws that would raise the age of consent for businesses using personal data from 13 to 16.

It would mean that those under 16 would be forced to seek permission from parents whenever signing up to a social media account, downloading an app or even using search engines.

The law, due to be voted on on Thursday, would cause a major headache for social media companies. Facebook has a minimum age of 13, as do Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and Google.


Failing to comply with the legislation can mean fines of up to 4pc of a company's turnover - tens of millions of pounds for the biggest internet firms.

The new law comes as part of a major overhaul of data protection laws designed to create a single set of rules for the European Union. It has been in the works for over three years, but a last-minute amendment was tabled last week to increase the age of consent.

It will be debated by politicians before a vote on Thursday. Many parts of the world accept 13 as the age of consent for services that use data.

The Diana Award Youth Board, which aims to protect children from bullying, attacked the move.

"This higher age threshold may incentivize children between the ages of 13 and 15 to lie about their age. Children aged 13 and above have long accessed online services; an artificial and sudden change to this threshold will likely result in many children between the ages of 13 and 15 lying about their ages in order to continue accessing online services - rather than asking their parents to consent," it said.

"This development would make it far more difficult for online services to offer children age-appropriate guidance and tools to ensure a safe and privacy-protective experience online.