The European Commission formally adopted its proposed EU KIDS Act on Thursday, 17 September, setting out common age limits for social media alongside new safety requirements covering services used by children across the European Union.
Under the proposal, children under 13 would not be permitted to hold social media accounts. Those aged 13 and 14 could use limited accounts established and supervised by a parent or guardian, while teenagers would be allowed to open independent accounts from the age of 15, according to the Commission’s detailed explanation of the proposed rules.
The legislation — formally the EU Keeping Internet Digital Spaces Accountable and Trustworthy Act — would mark a further expansion of Brussels’ digital rulebook. While previous EU measures such as the Digital Services Act have concentrated largely on the conduct and responsibilities of platforms, the new proposal establishes common rules governing when children may begin using particular services.
The Commission says the approach is intended to replace differing national rules with a single framework across the EU.
For 13 and 14-year-olds, parent-supervised accounts would come with restrictions including parental controls switched on by default, approval of contacts and a daily usage limit of no more than one hour. From 15, minors could establish their own accounts, although platforms would remain subject to special design requirements for users under 18.
Children under 13 would still be able to use certain video services specifically designed for younger users through a parent’s account. Personalised feeds and search would have to be disabled and access would remain under parental control.
Platforms required to prove safety
The proposal also changes where responsibility lies for demonstrating that digital services are suitable for children.
Providers of the largest online platforms would have to show that their products are safe by design, rather than leaving regulators, parents or children to establish that a service has caused harm. Very large online platforms would be required to submit compliance plans and have them assessed by independent auditors before bringing services or new features into contact with children, according to the Commission’s proposed compliance framework.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the legislation was intended to reverse the existing burden of proof by requiring platforms to demonstrate that their services were designed safely for younger users.
The rules go beyond conventional social networks.
Safety-by-design obligations would also apply to video-sharing platforms, online games, artificial-intelligence chatbots and companions, app stores and some operating-system functions. The proposal would restrict features intended to keep minors continuously engaged, including infinite scrolling, endless autoplay, certain push notifications and reward mechanisms encouraging repeated use.
Recommendation systems aimed at minors would also face restrictions. Profiling-based personalisation would be disabled by default, while platforms would have to provide options allowing children greater control over what appears in their feeds.
Minors would also receive stronger default privacy settings. Unapproved users would not be able to contact them, and children would not automatically appear in contact recommendations or be added to groups without agreement.
AI chatbots brought within child-safety regime
The Act would introduce specific restrictions for AI companions and conversational chatbots accessible to minors.
Systems would not be permitted to employ designs intended to simulate human relationships in ways likely to create emotional dependency. They would normally be prevented from carrying a child’s previous conversations into subsequent sessions and would have to undergo child-safety testing before launch. Chatbots integrated into games or other platforms would have to be switched off by default for minors.
Online games would meanwhile be brought under similar safety principles, while app stores would be required to age-rate applications and prevent minors from obtaining products considered inappropriate for their age.
Age verification would underpin the system. Platforms would have to verify the age of users creating accounts rather than relying solely on self-declared dates of birth. The Commission proposes using certified third-party verification systems, including an EU age-verification application, designed to tell a platform whether a user meets an age threshold without revealing their identity.
Companies breaching the rules could face fines of up to 6 per cent of worldwide annual turnover. Enforcement would build on structures already established under the Digital Services Act and AI Act.
Technology companies are expected to scrutinise the age-assurance provisions closely. Industry representatives have previously argued that large-scale age verification can create additional privacy and cybersecurity risks, particularly where platforms are required to collect or process information capable of establishing a user’s age.
The proposal will now have to be negotiated by the European Parliament and EU member states before it can become law.
The KIDS Act therefore opens a new phase in EU digital regulation. Brussels is no longer dealing only with how major platforms moderate content, handle data or design algorithms. The Commission is now proposing common rules determining at what age children can independently enter parts of the digital environment, while making access conditional on the services themselves meeting specific standards for minors.
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