The European Commission is preparing to unveil a comprehensive legislative package aimed at protecting minors online, according to a draft document obtained by Euronews. The proposed EU Kids Act would require parental consent for under-15s to create accounts on social media and video-sharing platforms, and would impose new safety-by-design obligations on a range of digital services, including video games and AI-powered chatbots.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to preview the proposal during her State of the Union address to the European Parliament, with the full text scheduled for publication on Thursday. The move responds to growing pressure from several member states—including France, Greece, Austria, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands—which are either considering or already advancing national legislation on social media age limits. Brussels hopes a single EU-wide framework will prevent a patchwork of divergent national rules.
The draft law goes beyond earlier expectations in its scope. It covers social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, as well as online games and AI companions—services that the Commission says pose “specific design risks for minors.” AI chatbots and companions are described as “virtual tools that can give mental health and personal development advice to minors,” and would be subject to the same safety requirements.
Excluded from the scope are services designed and operated for educational purposes or by public authorities, as well as AI systems intended for office or industrial use.
Age-based access tiers
The proposal introduces a graduated age framework. Children under three would be barred entirely from social media and other high-risk services. From ages three to thirteen, children could access child-friendly services under adult supervision. Those aged thirteen to fifteen would be allowed restricted access to social media and video-sharing platforms, with limited features and parental controls. For minors aged fifteen to eighteen, safety-by-design rules would remain in place, but they could access platforms without parental consent.
Companies such as Meta and Google would be required to verify users’ ages when they open new accounts, using an EU-wide age-verification app or other national solutions that check only whether the user is above a certain age. For existing accounts, proportionate verification would be required, based on factors like subscription length.
Safety by design
The draft EU Kids Act includes a list of prohibited design features, such as infinite scrolling, artificial notifications, and certain reward mechanisms. Recommender systems—the algorithms that decide which content to display—would have to be designed to avoid “rabbit holes” and other engagement-driven recommendations. Risky settings would be disabled by default, minors’ accounts would be set to private, and unknown users would be unable to contact them. Reporting harmful content would be made easy, and parents would be offered age-appropriate parental control tools.
“Technology companies bear the primary responsibility for making their products safe. Parents, not algorithms, should raise Europe’s children,” the document states. The proposal also envisages tailored commitments for online games and AI chatbots, using a co-regulatory approach based on industry-led self-regulation.
Brussels has often been criticized for being slow to enforce its digital rules, as the online environment evolves faster than public authorities can respond. To address this, the Commission is proposing to shift the burden onto tech companies to prove they are complying with child-safety rules. Online services already subject to the Digital Services Act’s stricter regime—because they are deemed to pose a systemic risk to society—would need Commission authorization before rolling out any new features that could affect children.
The proposal comes as several member states are already moving ahead with their own measures. France, for instance, recently revised its social media ban for under-15s after a court rejection, and the Netherlands and Spain have jointly urged an EU-wide age limit. The Commission’s initiative aims to harmonize these efforts and avoid fragmentation across the single market.
If adopted, the EU Kids Act would mark a significant step in European digital regulation, building on the Digital Services Act and setting a global precedent for child safety online. The proposal is expected to face intense lobbying from tech companies, but the political momentum appears strong, with broad support from member states and the European Parliament.
