The EU is introducing new limitations on children’s use and access to social media across its 27 member nations.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the new regulations on Monday, outlining a teired system of limitations for children and teens based on expert recommendations.

Children under the age of 13 will only be able to access social media under the supervision of caregivers, parents, or teachers for a limited period of time, with gradual increases in acces with age.

Currently, this system is just a suggestion, with Von der Leyen expeccted to present a more formal proposal in the autumn.

“It is clear we need age-appropriate restrictions ​to platforms,” von der Leyen said to reporters.

“The question is no longer ​if children face risks online, but what can we do to give children a safer start online.

“We first ​need to consider the type of platforms that are ​harmful to ⁠our children. The evidence shows that this is mainly social media platforms, but also other providers with age-inappropriate and addictive features. So think of it ⁠as ​social media plus.

“And when ​we have this clearly defined category, I believe we need to consider phased and gradual ​access for different age ranges.”

The announcement from the EU follows on from other countries, including the UK, putting in place plans to formally restrict the use of social media by children and teenagers.

The UK has still yet to implement its planned ban for under-16s, which includes limitations on video games and online forums.

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Australia was one of the first countries to implement a full ban of social media for under-16s, citing the harm these platforms can cause for children and their inherent addictive design.

Still, Australia is struggling to implement this ban, with age assurance systems for teens attempting to catch up with readily available evasion tactics such as VPNs.