rki.news | Source Xinhua
BRUSSELS, Sept. 17 — The European Commission on Thursday proposed EU-wide restrictions on children’s access to social media, including a ban for those under 13 and a minimum age of 15 for minors to open accounts.
Under the proposed EU KIDS Act, children under 13 would be barred from social media, while those aged 13 to 15 would only use limited accounts through a parent or guardian. Such accounts would restrict social contacts and screen time to one hour daily.
The proposal would require social media platforms, video-sharing services, online games, AI companions and chatbots used by minors to be “safe by design.”
Features including infinite scrolling, certain reward mechanisms and push notifications during sleeping hours would be restricted. Minors’ profiles would be private by default, with geolocation, camera and microphone access switched off.
Online services and app stores would introduce age-assurance mechanisms. The Commission said its EU age-verification app could operate without retaining identity documents or biometric data.
The proposal has been submitted to the European Parliament and Council of the EU for consideration and approval. Violations could result in fines reaching 6 percent of worldwide annual turnover.
EU Seeks New Social Media Rules to Protect Children
