EU Tables Act to Bar Children Under 13 From Social Media

STRASBOURG, France — The European Union has proposed sweeping new rules that would prevent children under 13 from accessing social media, while placing tighter restrictions on teenagers and requiring technology companies to demonstrate that their services are safe for children.

The European Commission formally presented the EU KIDS Act on September 17, a day after Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the initiative during her State of the Union address to the European Parliament.

Under the proposal, children below 13 would not be allowed to have social media accounts. Children aged 13 to under 15 could access social media only through limited “mini accounts” created and supervised by a parent or guardian, with screen time capped at one hour a day. From age 15, young people would be able to create and manage their own accounts.

The proposed rules would also require platforms to build stronger protections into their services by default.

These include restrictions on features designed to encourage excessive use, such as infinite scrolling, reward mechanisms and push notifications during sleeping hours. Profiles belonging to minors would have to be private by default, while unsolicited contact from strangers would be restricted and children would be given easier tools to block or mute other users.

The legislation would go beyond conventional social media. It would also cover video-sharing platforms, online games and AI companions and chatbots used by minors.

The Commission proposes that AI companions and chatbots be switched off by default for children and prohibited from using features that could encourage emotional dependency.

Platforms to carry greater responsibility

One of the most significant elements of the KIDS Act is a proposed shift in responsibility from regulators to technology companies.

Providers of very large online platforms would have to demonstrate that their services are safe for children and designed with their wellbeing in mind, rather than regulators having to establish first that a particular feature is harmful.

The Commission has described the approach as reversing the traditional burden of proof.

Age verification would also become a central requirement. Social media and video-sharing services would have to verify a user’s age when a new account is opened, while the EU proposes privacy-preserving age-verification tools that do not retain identity documents or biometric information.

The Commission says the measures are intended to provide children with a gradual introduction to online services as they grow, rather than applying a single age threshold to every digital service.

Children under 13 would still be able to access specially designed child-friendly video services under parental control, but without their own account or personalised feeds.

Proposal still requires approval

The KIDS Act is not yet EU law. The proposal will now be considered by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, which represent the bloc’s member states. The institutions will negotiate the final text before it can become law.

The proposal comes as governments around the world consider tougher restrictions on children’s use of social media. Australia has already introduced a minimum age of 16 for social media accounts, while several European countries have been debating or pursuing their own restrictions.

For the EU, the proposed legislation represents a broader attempt to regulate not only who can access digital platforms, but also how those platforms are designed for young users.

The Commission argues that children should gain access to the digital world progressively while companies are required to make the services they provide safer for them.