Brussels has moved to tighten the rules governing minors' online lives. On 17 September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the EU Kids Act, a legislative proposal that would bar children under 13 from social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. For adolescents aged 13 to 15, access would be possible only through restricted accounts set up with parental consent, while 15- to 18-year-olds would be limited to versions of platforms that are deemed “safe by design.”
What the EU Kids Act would change
The draft regulation goes beyond simple age limits. It would oblige social media networks, AI chatbots, video games, video-sharing sites, and app stores to design their services so that they are age-appropriate and do not encourage compulsive use. Crucially, recommender algorithms would no longer be allowed to suggest content based on a minor's behaviour or preferences, a move aimed at reducing the addictive pull of endless feeds.
The proposal is a direct response to mounting evidence that excessive screen time and platform design are harming young people's mental health. A Eurobarometer survey conducted in July 2026 found that 71% of Europeans are worried about the psychological effects of cyberbullying on minors, while 70% fear grooming and sexual exploitation. The same poll showed that 63% of respondents want stricter EU rules on children's access to social media, with 15% favouring stronger law enforcement and 13% preferring parental and school oversight.
Von der Leyen framed the initiative as part of a broader push to make the digital world safer for Europe's youngest citizens. “Our children are not a product for algorithms to optimise,” she said in a statement accompanying the proposal. “The EU Kids Act puts their well-being first.”
The Act builds on earlier measures. Earlier this year, the Commission launched an EU-wide age-verification app to help platforms confirm users' ages without exposing unnecessary personal data. The Digital Services Act already requires platforms to set safer default privacy settings for minors and restricts targeted advertising aimed at them. In addition, the Action Plan Against Cyberbullying provides tools for member states and schools to combat online harassment.
Industry reactions have been mixed. Some tech companies argue that the burden of protecting children should be shared more evenly between regulators, parents, and educators. As DigitalEurope has argued, child safety online is a shared duty, not just a problem for technology firms to solve alone. Others worry that the age-verification requirements could create privacy risks or be easily circumvented.
The proposal now moves to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, where negotiations are expected to be intense. Member states such as France and Germany have already introduced their own national rules on minors' social media use, and some lawmakers may push for even stricter provisions. The Commission has said it hopes to have the Act adopted before the end of the current mandate.
If passed, the EU Kids Act would represent one of the most comprehensive attempts by any major economy to regulate children's online experiences. It would also set a precedent that could influence legislation beyond Europe, much as the General Data Protection Regulation did for data privacy. For now, the debate is just beginning — and the stakes, for both children and the platforms that serve them, could hardly be higher.
