Introduction of a minimum age limit on the use of online social networking services

Notification to the European Commission of draft provisions on the introduction of a minimum age limit for the use of online social networking services, in accordance with the procedures of Presidential Decree 81/2018

The proposed provisions aim to establish a clear age limit for access to these services, with the primary objective of protecting the health of minors from risks associated with the design and operation of online social networking services
More specifically, the provisions introduce a ‘digital age of majority’ rule, according to which access to online social networking services is not permitted until the user has reached the age of fifteen (15), and compliance with this requirement must be ensured through reliable age verification mechanisms. This limit is aligned with the national framework for the protection of personal data (Law 4624/2019) with regard to the age of consent for information society services and corresponds to a critical stage of adolescence, during which minors gradually develop greater autonomy, whilst still requiring increased protection in the digital environment.

Furthermore, the regulations have been designed in a manner compatible with EU law and in particular with Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 on Digital Services (Digital Services Act), and with the guidelines on the protection of minors, issued in the summer of 2025 by the European Commission, in accordance with Article 28(4) of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 on Digital Services. Also, these regulations do not introduce new, stand-alone obligations for online platform providers and do not establish a parallel or stand-alone national control and penalties mechanism