The European Commission has proposed the EU KIDS Act, which would ban social media use for children under 13, set 15 as the minimum account age, and create parent-linked "mini accounts" for 13–15-year-olds with built-in safeguards including a one-hour daily screen limit. Platforms would be required to submit compliance plans and face independent audits, while addictive features such as infinite scroll and profiling-based recommendation feeds would be banned for minors. AI companions would be off by default and minors' profiles would default to private; the proposal has been sent to the European Parliament and Council for speedy adoption.
EU Proposes Strict KIDS Act: Ban for Under-13s, Parental 'Mini Accounts' and Safety-By-Design Rules
The EU KIDS Act will bar children younger than 13 from social media, route older kids' access via their parents' accounts and impose new safety-by-design" requirements on all online and video sharing platforms providing services to anyone under the age of 18. File photo Sascha Steinbach/EPA
Brussels on Thursday unveiled the European Commission's proposal for the EU KIDS Act, a package of rules that would ban children under 13 from using social media across the bloc, raise the minimum account age to 15, and require "safety-by-design" protections for anyone under 18.
The draft law would create parent-linked mini accounts for 13- to 15-year-olds. These accounts would limit access to age-appropriate social and video-sharing services and give guardians greater oversight and control.
Key Protections Proposed
According to the commission, services offered through mini accounts must include built-in safeguards: restricted contact options, a maximum of one hour of daily screen time, and limits on whom a minor can contact and be contacted by. Minors' profiles would default to private, with geolocation, camera and microphone features turned off by default.
"Today, our children are engaging with the most sophisticated technologies ever created. Technology that was never created with their wellbeing in mind. Our KIDS Act is reversing the burden of proof -- it is for platforms to show they are safe by design. And we put parents back in the driving seat, giving them the tools to help their children navigate a safer online world," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
Platform Responsibilities and Enforcement
Large platforms will need to submit compliance plans to the commission and to independent auditors. New and existing services, features or functions must be evaluated and amended if regulators find safety problems. The proposal also envisages an EU-wide age verification framework — including an EU age-verification app — with all 27 member states involved in setting up the regime.
The draft law bans features considered addictive or manipulative for under-18 users: profiling-based recommender feeds that pull minors into harmful "rabbit holes," infinite scroll, reward tricks, and certain push notifications during sleeping hours. Unsolicited contact for services aimed at minors would be prohibited.
AI companions and chatbots must be switched off by default and cannot be designed to create emotional dependency. Platforms would also be required to provide easy-to-use tools for minors and guardians to block or mute users, manage screen time, and adjust or reset recommendation settings.
The commission has forwarded the proposal to the European Parliament and the Council to begin the formal adoption process and called for a swift decision, saying the measure addresses an urgent need to protect children online.
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