The European Commission's proposal would stop children under 15 from opening their own social media accounts and require platforms to prove they are safe by design, or face fines of up to 6% of their global sales.
Called the EU Kids Act, the legislation sets a phased approach to online access. Under the plan, under-13s would be banned from platforms, while 13 to 15 year-olds could use video and social services only through 'mini accounts' created by a parent or guardian and limited to one hour a day. Only those aged 15 or older could register independently.
The Commission said the rules would reach beyond familiar apps to include YouTube and other video-sharing services, AI chatbots and online games. Ursula von der Leyen said the measures would "put parents back in the driving seat" and give families "the tools to help their children navigate a safer world". She told the European Parliament, "an age limit does not mean letting tech companies off the hook for the content on the platform."
Under the proposals, companies would have to submit detailed child safety plans and adhere to a legal duty that, von der Leyen said, requires platforms to follow "the principal of safety by design, no toxic or addictive features, no traps, etc," for every person under 18. The Commission said its drafting draws on an external panel on child safety online and EU survey data in which 92% of respondents listed stronger protection for children online as a top priority.
The plan will face scrutiny as it moves through debate in coming months. Some member states, such as France and Spain, have already pursued national limits; Paris previously sought a ban for under-15s but its top court ruled that measure breached freedom of expression, forcing French ministers to revise their approach. The Commission noted individual countries could still go further than the bloc-wide rules.
Industry pushback is expected. The Commission's preliminary findings singled out design features like infinite scroll, autoplay and personalised recommendations as encouraging "compulsive use," a point Meta disputes, saying the findings do not fully reflect steps it has taken to protect teens. The company also reached a separate $18bn (£13.3bn) settlement in the United States over claims about harm to children, while denying wrongdoing.
The proposal includes an age verification route using an existing EU app, with the Commission saying no personal data would be collected or shared. Policymakers in other countries offer a mixed precedent: Australia introduced an under-16 ban last year but has so far imposed no fines, the Communications Minister Anika Wells said, underscoring enforcement challenges the EU will now face.
If approved, the EU Kids Act will force platforms to adjust product design and compliance processes, hand parents formal control over under-15s' accounts, and set up months of political and legal debate over enforcement and privacy safeguards.
