EU Proposes Social Media Restrictions for Children Under 15

The European Commission has proposed new EU-wide rules that would restrict children’s access to social media, with a minimum age of 15 for opening independent accounts.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the plan during her State of the Union address in Strasbourg on Wednesday, saying the European Union needs stronger safeguards to protect children online.

Under the proposed EU KIDS Act, children under 13 would not be allowed to have social media accounts. Young people aged 13 and 14 would only be able to use limited “mini accounts” created and supervised by a parent or guardian. These accounts would have restricted features, parental controls and a daily usage limit of up to one hour.

From the age of 15, young people would be able to create their own accounts. Platforms would also face stronger requirements to ensure that services used by minors are safe by design, including measures against addictive features, unwanted contact and other online risks.

The European Commission formally adopted the KIDS Act proposal on Thursday, September 17. The proposal will now go through the EU legislative process before it can become law.

The Commission says the rules are intended to create a common approach across the EU, as member states have increasingly introduced different national rules on children’s online access. The proposal would also introduce stronger age-assurance requirements and place greater responsibility on online service providers to demonstrate that their platforms are safe for minors.

If adopted, the measures would mark a significant change in how social media platforms operate for children across the European Union.