Kids and social media: what would change under new EU law

The European Union is proposing a comprehensive set of regulations aimed at restricting children's access to social media, games, and AI assistants, as well as ensuring their safety on these platforms. Dubbed the EU KIDS Act, these rules would ban children under 13 from using social media and limit access for those aged 13 to 15, requiring supervision until 15.

The EU plans to reverse the burden of proof, requiring companies to demonstrate the safety of their platforms before minors can use them. Key features of the draft law include a tiered approach, with 15-year-olds able to create accounts and 13- to 14-year-olds using "mini accounts" under parental supervision. These accounts would have strict safeguards, such as limited daily screen time and parental control over access to other services.

The EU also aims to ensure platforms are safe before children use them, banning harmful profiling, addictive design elements, and emotional dependency-inducing AI interactions. Children's profiles would be private by default, with their location, camera, and microphone settings turned off, and easy-to-use blocking and muting features.

The proposed rules will only take effect after negotiations between the European Parliament and EU member states, which could take several months. Once adopted, the EU KIDS Act would apply uniformly across Europe, superseding any conflicting national laws. Additionally, Brussels is developing an age-check app to verify that children under the age limits cannot access social media, though privacy advocates have expressed concerns.