The European Union (EU) plans to ban children from accessing AI chatbots, social media, video-sharing platforms, and even online games, in its latest attempt to restrict their exposure to harmful online content, as Reuters reports.
Although bans elsewhere in the world have shown mixed results, the EU Commission claims this move will allow children to benefit from digital services without being exposed to abuse, exploitation, or adult content. The ban is also designed to limit the reach of tech companies by reducing their ability to influence children, their future customers.
It’s long been known that social media has a harmful effect on children’s developing brains. While research continues into the specific nature of that harm, there is a groundswell of support for action to curb it, as well as children’s access to other online content that could be considered harmful. Opponents argue that age-gating places undue demands on individuals and households without children.
Speaking about the proposal on Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that while tech companies often felt “overwhelming” and “impossible” to restrain, the EU was planning to do exactly that. She said the burden of protecting those on its platforms was the responsibility of the companies themselves, and that the EU would decide its own rules.
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The proposal is part of the EU Kids Act and is expected to cover video game and streaming platforms, video-sharing services, social media, and AI chatbots, with content age-gated differently for children as they grow.
Children under three will be banned from all platforms, while those aged three to 12 will only be allowed parental-controlled accounts on child-friendly services with strict safety standards. When they reach 13, kids can use introductory accounts with parental oversight. When they reach 15, they can set up their own accounts independently of their parents, but safeguards remain in place to prevent 18+ content from reaching them.
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Other aspects of the proposal include providing better access to tools to help children report harmful content, as well as strict parental control systems. As part of the measures, online platforms, including video games and social media companies, would be required to verify children’s ages before giving them access to the accounts. For gaming platforms, this would prevent games from being downloaded before any age checks have been completed.
The exact details may change in the proposal, and the specific way this would be implemented will need to be worked out with EU member countries before it is brought into law.
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