EU KIDS Act Would Ban Social Media Accounts for Children Under 13

The EU is considering much stricter rules for children online. Earlier this year, the EU charged TikTok over its allegedly addictive design, and now the European Commission wants to introduce broader age restrictions across social media and other online services.

EU KIDS Act would ban social media accounts for children under 13

The European Commission has proposed the EU KIDS Act, which would stop children under 13 from creating social media accounts and establish an EU-wide minimum age of 15 for independent accounts.

Children aged 13 and 14 could still access certain services through restricted “mini accounts” created and supervised by a parent or guardian.

The rules would extend beyond traditional social media platforms. They would also cover video-sharing services, online games, AI chatbots, and AI companions.

Mini accounts would come with strict limits

Accounts for users aged 13 and 14 would include parental controls, restricted features, age-appropriate content, and daily usage limits.

Parents would receive tools to supervise access and decide which services their children can use. Once teenagers turn 15, they could create and manage their own accounts, although platforms would still need to apply additional protections for minors.

Platforms would have to disable addictive and profiling features

The proposal also targets features that could encourage excessive use or expose children to unwanted content.

Platforms would have to restrict or disable profiling-based recommendation feeds, infinite scrolling, unsolicited contact from strangers, and push notifications during designated sleeping hours for minors.

AI companions and chatbots would also remain disabled by default on children’s accounts.

Concerns around addictive social media features have grown throughout the year, with a landmark trial targeting TikTok, Meta, and YouTube over alleged youth mental health harm.

Platforms would have to prove their services are safe for children

The KIDS Act would require service providers to show that their products are age-appropriate and “safe by design.”

Large platforms would need to submit compliance plans, while independent reviewers would assess whether their services meet the proposed child-safety requirements.

Age verification would become mandatory

Platforms would also need age-assurance systems to enforce the restrictions.

The Commission’s approach focuses on privacy-preserving age verification instead of simply requiring children to hand over additional identity documents.

Existing accounts could also face age checks when platforms cannot reliably determine a user’s age.

The changes would not stop with social media. Microsoft is also bringing age-aware app and AI controls to Windows 11.

The proposal still has to become law

The EU KIDS Act remains a legislative proposal and does not yet carry the force of law.

The European Parliament and EU member states in the Council must negotiate and approve it, so parts of the proposal could change before adoption.

The Commission says the legislation would create a common child-safety framework across the EU instead of relying on different national rules.

In other social media news, Meta recently agreed to an $18 billion settlement over teen safety.

Via Neowin