EU Plans Social Media Restrictions for Under-15s

The European Commission has proposed the EU KIDS Act, which would introduce EU-wide restrictions on children’s access to social media. Under the proposal, children under 13 would not be allowed to access social media platforms, while those aged 13 to 14 could use supervised “mini accounts” with limited features and time restrictions.

The proposal would also set 15 as the minimum age for creating an independent social media account. The rules would extend beyond social media to video-sharing platforms, online games and AI chatbots, while platforms would have to demonstrate that their services are safe by design.

If approved, companies could face fines of up to 6% of their global annual turnover for violations. The proposal still needs approval from EU member states and the European Parliament before becoming law.