EU must go beyond ‘binary yes or no ban’ on social media, top official says

But the EU’s efforts must extend beyond a simple “binary yes or no ban” and instead focus on making the online space safer for all minors, said Harris-Hess. Whatever form a ban takes, if it is decided, it is necessary to discuss “What is the environment we want to see for those who can access the service?’ It can’t be nothing, it has to be some form of protection,” for those minors between the lower age set by restrictions and the 18-year-old age of majority, he said. Expressing reservations about a full-scale ban, Livingstone said that if the EU can solve those two challenges: “Why would we go for the simple solution of just banning children from a digital world, and why would we not then implement the thoughtful child rights’-respecting solution [of making it safer online], which would be better for children and for everybody?”