Computerweekly iconComputerweeklySep 16, 2026 ~7 min source read

Europe’s draft EU Kids Act would limit unsupervised social media for under-15s and shift safety burden to platforms

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen outlined rules that would ban under-13s from social media, require parental-controlled accounts for under-15s, and force tech firms to prove platforms are safe for young people.

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The proposal extends beyond social media to video-sharing sites, online games, chatbots and app stores, and demands age verification and safety-by-design measures.

Critics warn the rules could create widespread identity checks that change the open internet and impose heavy compliance burdens on small or community-run services.

Regulators frame the move as a response to children spending four to six hours daily on screens and experiencing harms such as sleep loss, anxiety and self-harm.

The useful part

Tech companies under fire as Europe proposes social media ban for under-15s | Computer Weekly Home IT risk management Sergii Figurnyi. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told a State of the Union address at the European Parliament that Europe intended to "reverse the burden of proof" for the safety of children onto technology companies. Technology companies will be required to provide services that are "safe by design" for children between 15 and 18.

How it works

  • Video-sharing services, online games, chatbots and app stores will also be required to follow "safety by design" requirements, including verifying the age of users.
  • j "The EU Kids Act will raise very real governance questions for operators in scope, [including] how to cater to age categories when designing and delivering services," she said.
  • Phone and tablet users will be required to verify their ages with credit card or official ID under government plans to prevent under-18s viewing nude images.
  • The UK government will use new legal powers to lay the groundwork for an under-16 social media ban after its consultation on children's digital well-being.
  • Labour proposals to restrict social media use to people aged 16 and under could have unintended consequences for businesses using virtual private networks.

What to take from it

"Imposing the same complex compliance requirements on those services risks pushing them out," said Baker. Isabelle Roccia, managing director for Europe at the International Association of Privacy Professionals, said the European Commission's proposals raised complex questions over what level of risk was acceptable in online services. Read more on IT risk management Meta's $18bn settlement shows why the UK must act on children's social media harms Platforms must shoulder burden of proof for social media design By:

Example or evidence

  • New research shows how security scanners embedded in the software supply chain can be attacked to serve as a foothold for...
  • AI's energy and latency demands are driving infrastructure toward the edge -- closer to users,...
  • "A capture of their attention, their focus, their minds.
  • Von der Leyen said she disagreed with the suggestion it was impossible to roll back the "overwhelming" power of big tech companies.

Details worth keeping

"Platforms will have to prove to us that they are safe," she said. "Because it is not about our minors accessing social media. "It is we who decide our rules, not big tech.

Related coverage

  • Techcentral: Commission is expected to announce a ban tomorrow on social media for children up to the age of fifteen, unless their parents explicitly consent to it.
  • Independent: Details may still change ahead ​of the ⁠announcement.
  • Rte: Commission has proposed a ban on social media access for under 13s, with "safe design" obligations for platforms for users between the ages of 15 and 18.

More context around this story.

EU proposes social media ban for children under 13
Dailyfinland iconDailyfinlandSep 18, 2026

EU proposes social media ban for children under 13

The European Commission on Thursday proposed new EU-wide restrictions on children's access to social media, including a ban for those under 13 and a minimum age of 15 for minors to open their own accounts, reported Xinhua. Under the proposed EU KIDS Act, children under 13 would be barred from social media, and children

Techcentral iconTechcentralSep 16, 2026

Europe to introduce ban on social media up to age 15

The European Commission is expected to announce a ban tomorrow on social media for children up to the age of fifteen, unless their parents explicitly consent to it. According to news site Politico, the draft EU KIDS Act will be presented this Thursday. After that, the European Parliament and the individual member state

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