2025/2081(INI) Own-initiative report First reading

Impact of social media and the online environment on young people

Parliament sets out its own position on a topic. The resolution is not binding but signals what Parliament wants.

Where it stands: Parliament adopted the text on 17 September 2026. This is its final position on the matter.

  1. ✓ Referred to committee 8 May 2025
  2. ✓ Committee work Report adopted 14 July 2026
  3. ✓ Tabled for plenary 28 August 2026
  4. ✓ Plenary vote Adopted 17 September 2026
  5. ✓ Parliament’s position Final
How a file moves through Parliament

A file is referred to one lead committee (others may give an opinion). Its rapporteur writes a draft report, committee members table amendments, and the committee votes to adopt the report. The report is then tabled for all MEPs; political groups can table further amendments, which are voted on before the final vote in plenary. The adopted resolution is Parliament’s final position; it is not itself law.

Who is working on it

Lead committee
CULT — Culture and Education
Rapporteur
Sandro RUOTOLO S&D
Shadow rapporteurs
Sunčana GLAVAK PPEAnnamária VICSEK PfELara MAGONI ECRHristo PETROV RenewDiana RIBA I GINER Verts/ALECarolina MORACE The LeftZsuzsanna BORVENDÉG ESN
For opinion
IMCO — Internal Market and Consumer Protection · rapporteur Laura BALLARÍN CEREZA S&DFEMM — Women’s Rights and Gender Equality · rapporteur Anna STROLENBERG Verts/ALELIBE — Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs · rapporteur Katarina BARLEY S&D

The rapporteur drafts and negotiates the text for the lead committee; each other political group names a shadow rapporteur to follow the file.

The text, version by version

Adopted by Parliament · latest Adopted text TA10-0313/2026 17 September 2026 ✦ Parliament's resolution on the impact of social media and the online environment on young people sets out an integrated European strategy combining safety and privacy by design, age-appropriate design, algorithmic transparency and privacy-first age verification.⇄ what changed Tabled for plenary Report A10-0220/2026 28 August 2026 ✦ Parliament's resolution on the impact of social media and the online environment on young people sets out an integrated European strategy combining safety and privacy by design, algorithmic transparency and privacy-first age verification.⇄ what changed Committee draft Draft report (CULT) 10 September 2025 ✦ A draft report by Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education on how social media and the online environment affect young people. It calls for a unified EU strategy combining safety-by-design, algorithmic transparency, privacy-first age assurance, digital literacy, participatory governance and evidence-based evaluation.

Latest Tabled for plenary → Adopted by Parliament: The text no longer asks for research data to be broken down by gender, age, racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, sex characteristics and disability, keeping only a general reference to disaggregated data with privacy safeguards. see the changes →

Committee opinions: Draft opinion (IMCO),Opinion (IMCO),Draft opinion (LIBE),Draft opinion (FEMM)

Newest version first. Open a version to read it in full. “What changed” shows the differences paragraph by paragraph; ✦ lines are AI-written from the texts themselves.

Timeline

  1. Plenary stage
  2. 17 September 2026 Plenary vote
    Sitting of 17 September 2026 📄 Report A10-0220/2026📄 Adopted text TA10-0313/2026
    Adopted Adopted by a large majority
    For 395 Against 136 Abstained 80

    Final vote — text as a whole at 13:23 · 65% of votes cast in favour · every MEP’s position →

    How the vote unfolded · 13 ballots

    adopted rejected lapsed square = amendment circle = part of the text decisive vote Solid = roll call (click for every MEP’s vote); faded = no individual positions

    Show all 13 ballots in voting order
    1. Separate vote: paragraph 1 § 1
    show of hands — no individual positions recorded
    Rejected
    2. Separate vote: after paragraph 1 After § 1
    show of hands — no individual positions recorded
    Rejected
    3. Separate vote: paragraph 63 § 63
    show of hands — no individual positions recorded
    Adopted
    4. Separate vote: paragraph 63 § 63
    show of hands — no individual positions recorded
    Adopted
    5. Paragraph 63 — part 3 13:21 A10-0220/2026 – Sandro Ruotolo – § 63/3
    Adopted
    6. Separate vote: paragraph 69 § 69
    show of hands — no individual positions recorded
    Rejected
    7. Separate vote: paragraph 78 § 78
    show of hands — no individual positions recorded
    Adopted
    8. Separate vote: paragraph 78 § 78
    electronic vote (totals only) — no individual positions recorded
    Rejected
    9. Paragraph 85 — part 1 13:22 A10-0220/2026 – Sandro Ruotolo – § 85/1
    Adopted
    10. Paragraph 85 — part 2 13:22 A10-0220/2026 – Sandro Ruotolo – § 85/2
    Adopted
    11. Recital AD — part 1 13:22 A10-0220/2026 – Sandro Ruotolo – Recital AD/1
    Adopted
    12. Recital AD — part 2 13:23 A10-0220/2026 – Sandro Ruotolo – Recital AD/2
    Adopted
    13. Final vote — text as a whole 13:23 A10-0220/2026 – Sandro Ruotolo – Motion for a resolution (as a whole)
    Adopted
  3. 9 September 2026 3 amendments tabled for the plenary vote

    Groups propose changes to the tabled text; each is voted on before the final vote.

    📄 Amendments 1–3
  4. 28 August 2026 Report tabled for plenary

    This is the text all MEPs vote on. Political groups can still table amendments to it.

    📄 Report A10-0220/2026
  5. Committee stage
  6. 14 July 2026 Committee vote: report adopted

    CULT (Culture and Education) voted on the amendments and adopted the report that goes to plenary.

  7. 2 March 2026 Committee opinion adopted

    The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.

  8. 26 February 2026 Committee opinion adopted

    The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.

  9. 26 February 2026 IMCO (Internal Market and Consumer Protection) adopted its opinion

    The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.

    📄 Opinion (IMCO)
  10. 19 November 2025 Amendments tabled in committee

    Members of CULT (Culture and Education) proposed changes to the draft.

    📄 Amendments in committee (CULT)
  11. 10 September 2025 Draft report published

    The rapporteur’s first text in CULT (Culture and Education). Members can table amendments before the committee votes.

    📄 Draft report (CULT)
  12. 8 May 2025 Referred to the CULT (Culture and Education) committee

    The lead committee prepares the report; IMCO (Internal Market and Consumer Protection), FEMM (Women’s Rights and Gender Equality), LIBE (Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs) give an opinion.