Leak: EU Commission to pitch social media restrictions for under-15s

The European Commission is preparing to propose a new EU Kids Act that will impose restrictions on minors under 15 when it comes to accessing social media and video-sharing platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The legislation is expected to be unveiled alongside new safety requirements for online services such as video games and AI chatbots.

According to a confidential document, minors under 15 would need parental approval before creating accounts on these platforms, while tech companies would be mandated to make their digital services safe by design.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to introduce the proposal during her State of the Union address to the European Parliament. The bill is anticipated to be released on Thursday after the plenary session.

Several EU member states, including France, Greece, Austria, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands, are either contemplating or advancing their own national legislation on social media bans, putting pressure on Brussels to present an EU-wide measure and prevent fragmentation.

In July, experts appointed by the EU executive presented a series of recommendations to enhance child safety online, many of which are reflected in the forthcoming draft law. The document emphasizes that technology companies are primarily responsible for ensuring their products' safety, while parents should remain the primary guardians of Europe's children.

The proposed EU Kids Act extends its scope beyond social media and video-sharing platforms to include other online services deemed potentially hazardous for minors, such as video games and AI companions. Spain and the Netherlands requested this expansion last week. The draft law covers social media, video-sharing platforms, online games, AI-powered chatbots, and companions, which are considered to present specific design risks for minors.

Services designed and operated for educational purposes or by public authorities, as well as AI systems intended for office or industrial use, are excluded.

The safety-by-design provisions apply to all digital services mentioned in the bill, encompassing safety requirements for minors under 15. Children below the age of three will be barred from accessing social media and other high-risk services, while those aged three to 13 will be able to utilize child-friendly services under adult supervision.

Between the ages of 13 and 15, minors will receive restricted access to social media and video-sharing platforms, with limited features and parental control in place. Even though teenagers aged 15 to 18 may access these platforms without parental consent, safety-by-design rules will still apply.

Companies like Meta and Google will need to verify users' ages when they create new accounts through an EU-wide age-verification app or other national solutions that can determine whether the user is old enough. Proportionate verification will be necessary for existing accounts, based on factors such as the length of the user's subscription.

Safety-by-design rules will also require default settings to disable risky features, with account content made private and unknown users unable to contact minors. Reporting harmful content should be made simple.

The bill also outlines age-appropriate parental control tools for parents to manage their children's online experiences. These rules and principles will be complemented by tailored commitments for online games, AI chatbots, and companions, which will adopt a co-regulatory approach based on industry-led self-regulation.