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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed banning children under 13 from accessing social media, online games and chatbots on Wednesday during her annual State of the European Union speech in Strasbourg. "I am aware that many perceive the power of Big Tech as overwhelming and impossible to roll back. I disagree," said the EU executive. "We do not have to accept addictive features. We do not have to accept children being drawn into ever more extreme content. We do not have to accept that girls have their photos used for AI-generated sexualized images," she said. Von der Leyen said that under her proposal "mini accounts" chaperoned by guardians would be granted to kids aged 13-15. The EU's 27 member nations will now vote on the proposal, which could spark tensions with US President Donald Trump, who has long criticized Europe's tech regulations.
European consumers can expect natural gas from an undersea deposit off Cyprus to help meet their energy needs as early as March 2028, the island nation's energy minister said. Michael Damianos said the East Mediterranean is fast becoming an alternative energy source for European nations as Russia's war in Ukraine and upheaval in the Middle East compel the continent to seek out new sources. Damianos said partners TotalEnergies of France and Italy's Eni made a final decision last month to proceed with developing the Cronos natural gas field off Cyprus' southern coast. The project will be the first time gas from east Mediterranean deposits is supplied to European markets. "It's important for Europe at this time because of the war in Ukraine, because of this situation in the Middle East, that Cyprus is going to be an alternative source of gas," Damianos told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview Friday. According to the Eni-TotalEnergies consortium timetable, work on a pipelin