{
  "id": 7559201,
  "title": "EU Plans Sweeping Social Media and AI Chatbot Ban for Children",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/eu-plans-sweeping-social-media-and-ai-chatbot-ban-for-children",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-15T13:10:27.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ProPakistani",
    "slug": "propakistani",
    "url": "https://propakistani.pk/2026/09/15/eu-plans-sweeping-social-media-and-ai-chatbot-ban-for-children/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The European Union is set to propose stringent regulations on children under 15 accessing social media, video-sharing platforms, AI chatbots, and online games, according to a leaked European Commission document. This proposal is part of the broader EU Kids Act, which is expected to be presented by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Technology Chief Henna Virkkunen on Thursday.\n\nThe draft outlines varying regulations for different age groups. Individuals aged 15 and above would be permitted to create their own accounts. Children aged 13 to 14 could utilize parental-introduced accounts with limited contacts and strict time restrictions. Those aged 3 to 12 would be confined to child-friendly services, with their accounts fully controlled by parents and subject to enhanced safety measures. Children under three would be barred from accessing these services.\n\nThe proposed restrictions would apply to prominent online services such as social media platforms, video-sharing websites, AI chatbots, and online games, highlighting growing global concerns about the potential health and safety impacts of these platforms on children. The Commission document suggests that the EU should enable minors to enjoy digital services while curbing technology companies' access to children rather than restricting the children themselves.\n\nUnder the proposal, social media and video-sharing services would be mandated to verify a child's age at account creation, while online gaming platforms would need to verify age before allowing children to download games. Companies would also need to avoid addictive design features and harmful recommendation feeds, providing easy ways for children to report harmful content and offering effective parental control tools. Tech companies would be required to pay supervisory fees to fund enforcement and oversight.\n\nThe proposal's exact obligations would vary based on the service type and the child's age. However, the final rules are yet to be approved, requiring negotiations between the European Commission, EU member states, and the European Parliament before becoming law. Currently, technology companies enforce minimum age limits on many services, with 13 being the common age for social media platforms, but the EU proposal introduces significantly stricter requirements and broader age verification across multiple online services.",
  "summary": "The European Union is preparing to propose major restrictions on how children under 15 can access social media, video-sharing platforms, … Read More The post EU Plans Sweeping Social Media and AI Chatbot Ban for Children appeared first on ProPakistani .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}