{
  "id": 7567932,
  "title": "EU to propose curbing social media, online games for under 15s",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/eu-to-propose-curbing-social-media-online-games-for-under-15s-7567932",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-15T13:36:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/09/15/eu-to-propose-curbing-social-media-online-games-for-under-15s"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The European Commission is set to propose new measures to limit the use of social media, video-sharing platforms, chatbots, and online games for children under 15 years old, according to a draft legal document seen by AFP. This proposed law, to be officially presented on Thursday, would ban minors under 15 from creating their own accounts, with a tiered system of access under parental supervision for younger children. The EU KIDS Act would also require digital platforms to make their services safe for children, removing addictive features such as infinite scrolling, artificial notifications, and certain reward mechanisms. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen will unveil the details of the new law during her annual address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, followed by a presentation by EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen the next day. The proposed rules include setting an EU-wide minimum age of 15 for minors to open autonomous accounts, with a tiered system for younger children aged 13, 14, and 3-13. Children under three will have no access to social media or other risky services. The EU will enforce these rules through a supervisory fee on platforms, and while existing laws like the Digital Services Act exist, the new law aims to address the lack of outright bans on problematic features and regulate recommender systems to control content promoted to children.",
  "summary": "A proposed new law would ban minors under 15 from opening their own accounts, with a tiered system of access under parental supervision for younger children.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "EU to propose curbing social media, online games for under 15s",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/eu-to-propose-curbing-social-media-online-games-for-under-15s-7540236",
        "published": "2026-09-15T10:59:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "EU to propose curbing social media, online games for under 15s",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/eu-to-propose-curbing-social-media-online-games-for-under-15s",
        "published": "2026-09-15T11:15:21.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "EU to propose curbing social media, online games for under 15s",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/eu-to-propose-curbing-social-media-online-games-for-under-15s-7545282",
        "published": "2026-09-15T12:07:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "EU to propose curbing social media, online games for under 15s",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/eu-to-propose-curbing-social-media-online-games-for-under-15s-7569392",
        "published": "2026-09-15T13:36:39.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "TechSpot",
        "title": "The European Union wants to ban chatbots and online games for kids under 15, not just social media",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/the-european-union-wants-to-ban-chatbots-and-online-games-for-kids",
        "published": "2026-09-15T16:32:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}