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BRUSSELS, May 12 (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday called for stronger protection of children from the "addictive designs" of social media platforms such as TikTok, X and Meta apps, raising the possibility of setting a minimum age for their use by minors.

Europe is taking a hard line on social media, with countries from Norway and France to Turkey and Britain discussing, or implementing, legislation to ban or restrict its use by minors, inspired by Australia’s pioneering experience in this area.

“The question is not whether young people should have access to social media, but whether social media should have access to young people,” von der Leyen said in a speech in Copenhagen.

She added, "Sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety, self-harm, addictive behavior, cyberbullying, grooming, exploitation, and suicide are all risks that are rapidly multiplying."

She noted that the commission will specifically target "addictive and harmful design practices" in the Digital Justice Act, which is scheduled to be introduced by the end of the year, while a committee of experts works on recommendations on how to proceed.

"Without prejudging the committee's findings, I think we should consider postponing the application of the law to social media. Based on the findings, we might come up with a legislative proposal this summer," she said.

Spokespeople for the three companies have not yet responded to requests for comment.

Von der Leyen said the new controls would strengthen and expand the EU's Digital Services Act, which requires major platforms to do more to combat illegal and harmful content .

Under the Digital Services Act, the European Commission is already investigating TikTok, X, and Meta's Instagram and Facebook platforms.

The Commission is investigating X regarding the potential risks of using the artificial intelligence tool (Grock) in the European Union, including the spread of manipulated sexual images.