EU adopts KIDS Act to limit social media access for children under 13 and set 15 as minimum age for personal accounts
The European Commission approved the EU KIDS Act, banning children under 13 from social platforms and requiring users to be at least 15 to open personal accounts.
The EU KIDS Act, adopted by the European Commission, prohibits social-media access for children aged 3 to 13 while permitting specially designed video-sharing services under parental control. Teenagers aged 13 and 14 may use parent-managed mini-accounts that limit social contacts and restrict screen time to a maximum of one hour per day. Users must be at least 15 to create their own accounts.
The law obliges platforms to offer easy-to-use parental controls, block infinite scroll, night-time push notifications, and unsolicited contact from strangers. AI companions and chatbots must be disabled by default and cannot simulate emotional relationships. Providers must prove safety by design, submit compliance plans for independent audit, and employ a privacy-preserving European age-verification app. Ursula von der Leyen highlighted the need to protect children from online environments they are not prepared to handle.
Why it matters
The rule reshapes how major tech platforms operate in the EU, aiming to safeguard minors from harmful online content and addictive design.
How the sides frame it
MODERATE AGREEMENTLeft-leaning coverage emphasizes the harms and addictive design of social-media platforms and frames the law as a protective response, while centrist coverage focuses on the specific regulatory provisions and technical safeguards introduced by the act.
LEFT
Frames the EU Kids Act as a needed safeguard against the risks and addictive business models of social-media platforms for children.
CENTER
Frames the EU Kids Act as a detailed legislative package that sets age limits, parental-control mechanisms, and safety-by-design requirements for platforms.
The left emphasises
- keeping children away from the risks associated with social-media platforms
- platforms are designed to capture attention and create addiction
- age-appropriate restrictions are needed
In this story
