Establishment of an age limit for the use of online social networking services

Notification to the European Commission of the draft provisions on the establishment of an age limit for the use of online social networking services, in accordance with the procedures laid down in 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.

In particular, a ‘digital age of majority’ rule is introduced, under which access to online social networking services is not permitted before the user reaches the age of fifteen (15), and compliance with this requirement is to be ensured through reliable age-verification mechanisms. This limit is in line 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, while still requiring enchansed protection in the digital environment.
Furthermore, the regulatory provisions have been designed in a manner compatible with EU law, and in particular with Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (Digital Services Act), as well as with the guidelines on the protection of minors published by the European Commission in the summer of 2025 pursuant to Article 28(4) of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 on Digital Services. These provisions do not, however, introduce new stand-alone obligations for online platform providers and do not establish a parallel or autonomous national monitoring and sanctions mechanism.