EU unveils new age limits and safety rules for social-media use
The European Commission announced a tiered framework that bans social-media accounts for children under 13 and introduces supervised or safe-by-design options for teens up to 18.
The European Commission presented the EU Kids Act, a set of rules aimed at curbing young people's exposure to social media. It establishes a complete ban for children up to 13, permits supervised mini-accounts for ages 13-15, and allows autonomous accounts for 15-18 only if they operate in a safe-by-design environment. The legislation also mandates third-party age verification tools and bans addictive design features such as endless scrolling and livestream functions.
Companies must provide detailed compliance plans that independent auditors will review, with investigations required to conclude within 90 days. Teenagers interviewed at a career fair expressed mixed feelings, with some supporting the restrictions for younger users and others questioning limits for older teens. Experts noted the EU approach is stricter than similar measures in Australia, though they warned that the lack of a pre-certification body could limit effectiveness.
Why it matters
The rules could reshape how social-media platforms operate across Europe and affect millions of young users.
How this story developed
- Sep 7 Estonia urges EU to make platforms protect children rather than impose a ban
- Sep 10 Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of California laws that impose penalties on social-media firms, ban addictive feeds for under-16s and require risk assessments for AI chatbots.
- Sep 11 Newsom signed 13 technology bills, adding Adam's Law to the earlier child‑protection package.
- Sep 11 President Nicușor Dan will attend the European Arctic Summit in Rovaniemi, Finland on September 13-14, 2026, alongside leaders from Germany, Poland, Denmark and EU officials.
- Sep 13 Macron’s written request to von der Leyen for a Europe‑wide legal instrument has entered the debate.
- Sep 14 The summit is being held in Rovaniemi, Finland.
- Sep 14 Bucharest will host an upcoming Eastern Flank summit.
- Sep 14 France plans to forward the amended draft to the European Commission on Monday.
- Sep 15 Leaders issued a joint declaration urging the EU to adopt a stronger, better‑funded Arctic strategy.
- Sep 16 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the draft EU Kids Act.
- Sep 18 The draft adds a default one‑hour daily limit for parent‑supervised mini‑profiles, mandates an audit of existing accounts within six months, and sets fines of up to 6 % of worldwide sales for non‑compliance.
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