EU Kids Act Won't Keep the Internet Accountable and Trustworthy

The European Union's proposed EU Kids Act aims to restrict young people's access to the internet, sparking concerns over its impact on internet accessibility, privacy, and civil liberties. The Act introduces mandatory age gates for social media and video-sharing platforms, with a phased approach from ages 13 to 18. These age gates raise civil liberties issues, as they reduce internet entry for minors and often disproportionately affect marginalized groups.

Mandatory age verification, based on the EU age verification scheme, also raises privacy concerns, as it requires parental consent for teenagers to set up accounts. The proposal includes a "safety by design" pillar, which covers social media, video-sharing, online games, AI companions, chatbots, and app stores. Providers must ensure child-safe design is the default, with certain requirements relaxed only if age assurance is used to confirm adult users.

The rule for addictive features like infinite scrolling and safe account settings aims to create a safer internet experience for young people, while AI companions must reduce minors' exposure to emotional dependencies and harmful interactions. App stores are tasked with setting up age-rating systems. The Act exempts not-for-profit encyclopedias, scientific repositories, educational services, and open-source platforms, but includes no exceptions for small and medium-sized enterprises, potentially leading to the dominance of large tech companies.

The EU Kids Act also raises concerns about the fundamental rights of users, such as privacy, freedom of expression, and the right to access information. The proposal's broader scope and heavy focus on safety and harms have led to criticism of its lack of attention to privacy and expression rights, as well as the potential politicization of well-intended efforts to curb manipulative design practices.