European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for stronger protection for children online, saying that evidence presented by the Special Panel on Child Online Safety should help shape future European policy.

Von der Leyen said evidence increasingly supports the introduction of a minimum age for access to social media and suggested a phased approach for different age groups.

During a press conference in Brussels, the EU chief said the argument for banning young children from using screens and digital platforms, and that children under 13 should only be allowed to use social media under adult supervision and for limited periods, was "more convincing".

"Social media is not a toy," she said, warning that "the status quo, a world where we continue to allow big tech companies unlimited access to our children, will only send another generation into more mental harm, addiction and misery."

According to research data, young people spend between four and six hours a day in front of screens, while almost 60% of young children have experienced emotional or psychosocial problems online.

The commission president supported the wider use of age-verification technology, stressing that the debate was not about whether children should ever use social media, but “if and when social media can reach our children.”