POLAND TO LEGISLATE SOCIAL MEDIA REFORMS.
Poland’s Digital Affairs Ministry said it plans to introduce legislation this year aimed at restricting children’s access to social media by requiring platforms to verify users’ ages when accounts are created.
Deputy Digital Affairs Minister Dariusz Standerski said the proposal would prevent children under 16 from using social media platforms. Writing on the social media platform X, he said Poland should “cut off young people aged under 16 from social media.”
Under the plan, users would be required to confirm their age when opening an account, triggering the creation of a digital credential stored in a government-backed digital identity wallet, Standerski said.
He added that Poland is coordinating with other European Union member states testing similar systems and that the European Commission is working on a harmonized age-verification framework across the 27-nation bloc.
The proposal follows similar moves elsewhere in Europe after Australia imposed restrictions on social media use for youth under 16. France plans to ban social media for children under 15 beginning in the 2026 school year, while Denmark has also announced plans for age limits.
In November, the European Parliament backed a report calling for an EU-wide minimum age of 16 for social media access, with limited exceptions.
Standerski said the government expects the necessary technical tools to be in place in 2026, making this year “the right time” to introduce the regulation.
POLES TO SPEND $500 MILLION IN MILITARY UPGRADES.
Poland is investing about $500 million to expand and modernize U.S. military facilities on its territory, fully funding the upgrades to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank.
The investment will support roughly 10,000 American troops stationed in Poland and reflects Warsaw’s commitment to remain a cornerstone of European security amid shifting U.S. priorities.
“This cost—we mean about $500 million—the Polish side treats this as an investment in its own security,” Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk told TVP World. “Increasing the American presence in Poland is one of the strongest guarantees of security.”
The upgrades come as Poland positions itself as NATO’s key logistics hub for future peacekeeping missions in Ukraine. Unlike permanent U.S. bases in Germany or Japan, Poland hosts mostly rotational forces, except for the forward headquarters of the U.S. Army’s V Corps in Poznań.
Analysts say the investment demonstrates Warsaw’s willingness to take on greater responsibility in NATO while encouraging the U.S. to maintain a strong presence in Europe.
POLISH CITIZENS RETURNING FROM UK, GERMANY IN GROWING NUMBERS.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk highlighted a rising trend of citizens returning from the United Kingdom and Germany, citing better economic opportunities and quality of life.
In a video posted on his X account, Tusk described the phenomenon as “foot voting,” referencing coverage in the British newspaper Daily Mail. He noted that many Poles who had moved abroad for work are now returning.
Late 2025 reports showed 25,000 Poles left the UK over the past year, while only 7,000 arrived, representing the largest decline in migration balance since the Brexit vote. Rising living costs, stricter visa rules, and a less competitive labor market were cited as key drivers.
Tusk also noted that more Poles are returning from Germany than leaving for work there, according to data from the German Federal Statistical Office, marking a historic shift.
The prime minister described Poland as an increasingly attractive destination for returning citizens, urging them to come home: “This is what we are aiming for — come back!”
AND THE WORD OF THE YEAR IS ...
A University of Warsaw and Polish Language Foundation competition panel named “drone” (dron in Polish) the Word of the Year 2025, according to PAP. “Veto” (weto) and “space” (kosmos) placed second and third.
In a public online survey, “space” ranked #1, followed by “drone” and “veto.”
The University and Language Foundation have presented Word of the Year for 15 years. It chooses words that best capture the year’s major themes and events.
Linguists and the public selected 21 terms from a selection that will occur more often in Polish news in 2025. The list included “astronaut,” “drone,” “votes,” “space,” “apartment,” “truce,” and “court.”
Previous winners include “coalition” (koalicja) and “artificial intelligence” (sztuczna inteligencja).
