EU Kids Act Restricts Social Media for Under-13s and Regulates AI Chatbots for Child Safety

European Commission Introduces Comprehensive Child Protection Framework

The European Commission officially presented the EU Kids Act on September 17, 2026, following President Ursula von der Leyen's announcement during her State of the Union address1

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. The legislation establishes a single EU-wide rulebook governing how children experience social media, video platforms, games, and AI chatbots, responding to fragmented protections across member states and rising concerns about children online safety.

The proposal addresses critical gaps in current regulations, including the absence of a common minimum age for social media, inconsistent age verification mechanisms, and addictive design features like infinite scrolling and autoplay that have contributed to youth health issues1

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. A July 2026 Eurobarometer survey revealed that 71% of Europeans worry about cyberbullying's psychological impact on minors, while 70% fear grooming and exploitation. Additionally, 63% of respondents support tougher EU rules on restricting social media access for children2

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Age-Based Restrictions and Parental Consent Requirements

The EU Kids Act implements graduated age restrictions designed to protect minors at different developmental stages. Children under three are barred entirely from social media and other high-risk services3

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. From ages three to 13, children can only access child-friendly platforms under adult supervision, with no personal social media accounts permitted for under-13s2

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Adolescents aged 13 to 15 can establish restricted accounts under parental consent, with limited features and time restrictions—what von der Leyen described as "mini accounts" set up and supervised by parents3

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. Teenagers aged 15 to 18 gain full access to platforms, though safety by design principles continue to apply to protect this age group1

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Companies like Meta and Google must verify users' ages when opening new accounts, using an EU-wide age verification app or other national solutions that check only whether users exceed certain age thresholds. Proportionate verification is required for existing accounts, based on factors such as subscription duration3

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Safety by Design Principles Target Addictive Technology for Children

The legislation mandates that platforms prove their products are safe before children use them, shifting the compliance burden onto tech companies3

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. The EU Kids Act bans specific addictive design features including infinite scrolling, artificial notifications, and certain reward mechanisms that encourage compulsive use2

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Recommender algorithms can no longer suggest content based on minors' behavior or preferences, designed to prevent so-called "rabbit holes" driven purely by engagement-based signals2

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. These addictive algorithms have been identified as key contributors to excessive screen time and associated health problems among young users.

Platforms must implement age-appropriate design with risky settings disabled by default. Minors' account content must be set to private, preventing unknown users from contacting them. The legislation also requires easy reporting mechanisms for harmful content and mandates that parents receive age-appropriate parental control tools3

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Expanded Scope Covers AI Chatbots and Video Games

The EU Kids Act's scope extends beyond social media to encompass video-sharing platforms, online games, AI chatbots, and AI companions—a broader reach than initially anticipated3

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. The inclusion of AI companions and conversational chatbots addresses Spain and the Netherlands' request made just weeks before the proposal's release3

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These AI-powered tools, described as "virtual tools that can give mental health and personal development advice to minors," now fall under the bloc's child-safety framework3

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. Services designed for education or operated by public authorities, as well as AI systems intended for office or industrial use, are excluded from the scope.

The Netherlands and Spain had pushed for this comprehensive approach in a non-paper circulated before the announcement, arguing that a risk-based approach should tackle addictive technology for children across all digital services, not social media alone5

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Enforcement Through Digital Services Act Framework

Enforcement follows the Digital Services Act model, with the European Commission directly policing major platforms and funding supervision through supervisory fees1

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. This centralized approach addresses criticism that Brussels has been too soft in enforcing digital rules, as online environments evolve faster than public authorities can respond3

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The proposal aims to prevent the fragmentation that would result from individual member states implementing their own rules. France, Greece, Austria, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands are all considering or advancing national legislation on social media bans, creating pressure on Brussels to present an EU-wide minimum age on social media measure3

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National rules, such as France's push to restrict under-15s, would remain in place, though Paris wants Brussels to harmonize them1

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. However, France's Constitutional Council previously struck down a national law banning social media access for under-15s in August, ruling it too broad and insufficiently proportionate because it infringed on constitutional rights5

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The EU Kids Act represents part of the Commission's wider effort to protect children online, complementing earlier initiatives including the EU age verification app launched earlier in 2026, privacy protections under the Digital Services Act through safer default settings and restrictions on targeted advertising, and the Action Plan Against Cyberbullying2

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. Von der Leyen emphasized Europe's regulatory autonomy, stating, "Europe has the power to act. It is us who decide our rules, not big tech"3

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