New EU Kids Act will restrict social media for under-15s

The law will apply to social media and video sharing platforms, online games and AI chatbots.

The EU is set to unveil rules restricting social media for children under 15 as part of a new EU Kids Act.

The legislative proposal will be brought to the table this Thursday (17 September), a spokesperson for the European Commission confirmed.

Multiple news publications that viewed preparatory documents have reported that the Kids Act will apply to so-called “high-risk” social media and video sharing platforms, online games and AI chatbots. Educational tools would be excluded.

It intends to create a tiered system for under-15s on these platforms – with fully guardian-monitored accounts for children under 13, and moderate parental control and limits on screen time for children between 13 and 15.

Children older than 15 can set up their own accounts, according to the new law, which will also propose measures to educate parents, kids and guardians, the documents showed.

Child safety on social media has been hotly debated in recent years, as parents and lawmakers move to shield minors from the provable harms posed online by popular platforms.

Various EU countries – including France, Greece, Spain and Germany – are considering legislating on the topic, but the bloc hopes to address it at the highest level to avoid fragmenting rules in the single market and to standardise the level of access children enjoy across the region.

Earlier this year, a special EU panel on child safety suggested restricting social media for those under 13 until platforms demonstrate that their services are safe by design. The European Parliament, late last year, called for a harmonised EU digital minimum age of 16, and suggested parental consent be required for those between 13 and 16.

The upcoming Kids Act legislation is also expected to enforce its rules in a similar way to the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which utilises large financial penalties for non-compliant tech companies and oversight roles for national regulators. The DSA currently regulates issues around online platform safety and transparency in the bloc.

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