“Our KIDS Act is reversing the burden of proof,” Ursula von der Leyen said. “It is for platforms to show they are safe by design.” The European Commission adopted the proposal in Strasbourg on Thursday. It would keep children under 13 off social media across the EU and stop anyone under 15 from opening an account.
It is a proposal only. The European Parliament and the member states must both agree before it becomes law, and no start date has been set.
What the draft would require
Children from 3 to 12 would have no access to social media. They could use only child-friendly video services through a parent-controlled account, capped at one hour a day. At 13 and 14, a teenager gets a “mini account” managed by a parent, with a limited number of contacts and the same one-hour cap. From 15, young people can open their own accounts.
For anyone under 18 the draft bans infinite scroll, reward tricks, night-time notifications, tracking-based feeds and messages from strangers. Profiles are private by default, and location, camera and microphone are switched off. AI chatbots are off by default for minors and may not be allowed to create emotional dependency.
Age checks would apply to apps and app stores, and social media and video platforms must verify age when new accounts are created, using tools such as the Commission’s age-verification app. For existing accounts, providers would estimate ages from details like the account setup date or credit card information. Under the Commission’s Q&A, they must check within six months of the rules taking effect whether account holders are under 15.
Enforcement
The largest platforms must send a compliance plan to the Commission and an independent auditor whenever they launch a new service or feature, and the Commission could demand changes. Fast-track investigations must finish within 90 days. Fines could reach 6% of a company’s global annual revenue. The Commission would supervise the biggest platforms and AI chatbots directly; national authorities would handle other services, video games among them.
The age fight
The age threshold was unsettled as late as Monday, when 13 capitals backed by the Commission’s expert panel faced 15 capitals led by France. The draft rests on a report from a panel of more than 60 experts that von der Leyen set up in March. The Commission also cites a Eurobarometer survey in which 92 percent of Europeans call stronger online protection for children a top priority.
The Commission wants quick adoption. Parliament has previously called for a limit of 16, though, and some governments, Estonia among them, do not support age-based bans at all.
