The European Parliament has pushed forward a contentious bill allowing tech companies to scan for child sexual abuse material. Despite opposition, lawmakers sent the proposal to EU member states for approval.
This bill was rejected in March but revived after pressure from the European People’s Party. The vote on July 9, 2026, ended with 276 in favor, 314 against, and 17 abstentions. It needed 361 votes to kill the bill outright but fell short.
The decision was chaotic. Members struggled to understand what they were voting on. The bill grants platforms a temporary legal right to scan voluntarily for abuse content but exempts end-to-end encrypted services like WhatsApp and Signal. This exemption weakens the bill’s reach.
The vote is part of broader EU debates on protecting children online, balancing privacy, and encryption. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said, “It is not the question when children or teenagers would have access to social media, I would say it’s more the question when social media has access to our children and teenagers.”
Several EU countries are eyeing restrictions on children’s access to social media. Denmark and Greece want rules like Australia’s ban on under-16s. The European Commission supports such restrictions and plans new laws to shield children online. A German panel offered two options: raise the minimum age to 13 or restrict certain features.
A YouGov poll found 75 percent of Europeans want platforms inaccessible to minors until proven safe. The EU already requires platforms to remove harmful content and bans targeted ads to children. However, the EU criticized France’s draft social media law, saying it conflicts with the Digital Services Act and overpowers French regulators.
The EU is considering a bloc-wide ban on children’s social media access. Under the Digital Services Act, it can investigate platforms, demand changes, and impose fines.
Meanwhile, Apple lost a court challenge against EU rules labeling it a “gatekeeper” under the Digital Markets Act. The court upheld that all five Apple app stores count as a single platform that must allow rivals to interoperate. Apple must also let competitors’ hardware work with iPhones. Apple’s spokesperson called the DMA’s mandate “beyond lawful and proportionate,” arguing it threatens user privacy and security.
The ruling came on July 8, 2026. Apple has pending cases challenging EU decisions to open iOS to third-party developers and appealing a €500 million fine imposed last April.
The EU tech ecosystem is at a crossroads. Child protection, privacy, and competition rules collide. The European Parliament’s revived bill and pending social media restrictions signal more battles ahead. Tech giants like Apple face increasing pressure to open their walled gardens while governments push for more controls on online safety.
Based on
- EU Parliament revives a ‘zombie’ child-abuse scanning bill it rejected in March — thenextweb.com
- A Majority of European Lawmakers Voted Against Letting Big Tech Read Our Messages. They’re Going to Anyway. | WIRED — wired.com
- EU moves closer to kicking kids off social media — france24.com
- EU tells France to amend social media ban law — france24.com
- Apple Loses Legal Fight Over Its App Store ‘Gatekeeper’ Status In Europe — engadget.com
