Concerns are growing about the risks children and teenagers face when using online platforms, which are highly addictive and designed to hold their attention for as long as possible.
Protecting children online is a priority for the European Commission. That is why it has proposed a new EU KIDS Act to introduce a gradual approach to social media access for children across the bloc.
The proposal would apply to online services used by minors, including social media, video-sharing platforms, online games, and AI companions and chatbots.
Delayed access to social media
Under the proposal, access to social media would be based on age.
- Under 13: children would not be able to access social media services. They could still use child-friendly video-sharing services through an account managed by a parent or guardian.
- Age 13 to under 15: children would be able to use social media through a mini account managed by a parent or guardian, with limited features and a time restriction of one hour per day.
- From age 15 onwards: children would be able to open and manage their own social media account.
Safety by design
Online services used by minors would have to offer stronger protection by default.
This would include:
- limiting features that can encourage excessive use, such as infinite scroll, reward tricks and push notifications during sleeping hours
- prohibiting unsolicited contact from strangers
- ensuring profiles for minors are private by default
- offering easy ways to block or mute other users
AI chatbots and companions would also have to be turned off by default, and would no longer be able to act in ways that make children emotionally dependent on them.
Age checks
Online services and app stores would have to use tools to check users’ ages, while protecting their privacy. They could, for example, use the EU age verification app, which does not retain identity documents or biometric data.
Social media services and video-sharing platforms would be required to verify age when a new account is opened.
Increasing platforms’ responsibility
The EU KIDS Act would also shift the burden of proof from regulators to platforms. Providers of very large online platforms would have to show that their services are safe for children and designed with their wellbeing in mind.
The proposal builds on the work of the special panel of experts set up by President von der Leyen to develop a strong and practical European approach to keeping children safe online.
It will now be examined by the European Parliament and the Council, which will negotiate and decide on the final text before it becomes law.
Brussels and Belgium context: Here “Brussels” refers to the EU institutions based in Brussels, specifically the European Commission. The Commission has the competence to propose EU legislation on the digital single market and online safety under the EU treaties. The Belgium connection is that the Commission’s headquarters and much of the EU’s legislative machinery are located in Brussels, where the proposal is presented before it moves to the European Parliament and the Council for negotiation.
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