EU proposes ban on social media for under-13s and strict limits for teens in draft Kids Act

# What the proposal would do

# Age bands and account rules

• 13–14 years: only allowed to use supervised "mini" accounts that a parent or guardian must create and control. Those accounts would limit social contacts and impose screen-time caps—proposed examples include up to one hour per day.
• 15 and older: the proposal sets a minimum age of 15 for minors to open their own accounts without parental setup.

# Safe-by-design requirements for services used by minors Platforms and apps used by children would have to adopt ''safe by design'' features. The proposal specifically targets mechanics considered potentially addictive or intrusive:

• Restrict infinite scrolling and specific reward mechanisms.
• Ban push notifications during sleeping hours.
• Make minors' profiles private by default and disable geolocation, camera and microphone access unless explicitly enabled by a guardian.

# Age assurance, verification and privacy Online services and app stores would be required to introduce age-assurance systems. The Commission highlighted an EU age-verification app option that, according to the proposal, can be used without storing identity documents or biometric data. The goal is to check age while limiting retention of sensitive personal identifiers.

# Responsibility, audits and penalties The act would change how responsibility is allocated for very large online platforms. Providers would need to demonstrate their services are safe for children before deployment. That means submitting compliance plans that can be independently audited. Enforcement would build on existing frameworks such as the Digital Services Act and the Artificial Intelligence Act. For serious breaches, fines could reach up to 6% of a company's total worldwide annual turnover.

# Political framing and next steps European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen framed the proposal as a move to put parents "back in the driving seat" and to require platforms to prove their services are safe by design. The draft has been submitted to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU for consideration and approval. If adopted, enforcement would rely on mechanisms set out in current EU digital legislation.

# Practical implications to watch If the Kids Act advances, platform operators will face design and product-review changes, mandatory age checks, and new compliance documentation. Parents will face a clearer legal framework for supervising younger teens' accounts, while developers of AI companions and chatbots will encounter explicit limits on features when the user is a minor.

# How this fits into existing EU law The proposal is framed as complementary to the Digital Services Act and the Artificial Intelligence Act, using those enforcement channels and penalties to ensure compliance across services used by minors.