EU to limit children’s social media access
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European Union officials proposed new rules to protect children and teenagers online, starting with age-based access to social networks.
The European Commission’s EU Kids Act will prohibit children under 13 from using social media. From ages 13 to 15, young people will need parental involvement through “mini accounts” to access these platforms. Between 3 and 13, children may only use supervised video services designed for them.
These mini accounts will allow parents to manage their children’s online experience, limiting contacts, daily usage to one hour, and providing parental control tools. The EU also intends to ban features that encourage addiction, such as endless scrolling and constant notifications, across all online services for those under 18. Platforms will be required to prioritise user privacy by defaulting to private profiles and disabling location services, cameras, and microphones.
To enforce these rules, platforms and app stores must verify users’ ages, and very large platforms will need to prove their services are safe for young people. Independent reviewers will assess their compliance plans, and violations could result in penalties up to 6% of their global annual revenue. The Commission is also preparing a Digital Fairness Act to address addictive features for all users, scheduled for release in the autumn.
