Teens may need permission to use online services

The European Union is to vote on new regulations surrounding the age of consent for websites using personal data. It is possible that the age of consent will be increased from 13 to 16.

The knock-on effect of this would be that teenagers could be banished from services like e-mail, Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram. Or they'll need parental consent to use these services, at the very least.

Member states are to debate the proposed regulations today before a vote on Thursday. If pushed through, the parliament will ratify it in the New Year. Countries would then have two years to implement the law and companies that fail to comply could be fined up to 4% of its turnover.