NRC: Many experts dread the settlement with Meta and a ban on social media for children – but almost no one wants to hear them (Jessica Galissaire)

In this background article published in the Dutch newspaper NRC, journalist Marloes de Koning examines the growing international push for social media age restrictions and the recent legal settlement with Meta. Senior Policy Researcher Jessica Galissaire warns that blanket age bans and access controls fail to solve the underlying dangers of social media platforms and can create a false sense of security for parents. Galissaire highlights that restricting platform access for teenagers under 15 or 16 fails to address systemic issues such as addictive algorithms, pushing for direct changes to platform designs rather than relying on age verification mechanisms.