In a move that places the protection of childhood at the center of digital governance, the European Commission has proposed banning children under 13 from major social media platforms and restricting the algorithmic features designed to maximize engagement at any cost. Unveiled by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the initiative reflects a growing global consensus that the architecture of social media was never built with young minds in mind. The proposal carries the weight of potential fines reaching 6 percent of global revenue, signaling that Europe intends to make the cost of inact