Romania's Senate tacitly passes a bill banning social media for under-15s

A bill that bans children under 15 from social networks has been passed by Romania's Senate "tacitly", meaning the deadline for debating and voting on it expired without a vote. The bill now goes to the Chamber of Deputies for the final decision. What the bill says - Under 15: no access to social networks. - Ages 15 to 18: platforms must provide gradual, age-appropriate access and a higher level of protection. - Account clean-up: once the law enters into force, platforms have six months to check all active accounts and delete those held by children under 15. - Harmful content: content that is harmful to children and teenagers must be removed within 48 hours. What platforms risk Platforms that don't block these accounts, don't provide age-appropriate gradual access for teenagers over 15, or don't remove harmful content in time risk fines of between 0.5% and 2% of their annual turnover. In case of repeated breaches, a court can decide, at the request of the national communications regulator ANCOM, to suspend a social network's activity in Romania. The EU angle The debate isn't only a Romanian one. In September the European Commission proposed the EU KIDS Act, which would set age-appropriate access rules for social networks, video platforms and online games across the Union. Source: Europa FM (audio report), 3 November 2026. Photo: Oana Tache at a European Parliament event.