On 17 September 2026, the European Commission proposed the EU KIDS Act: one EU-wide set of rules to keep children and teenagers safe online.
Why it matters
Today, the age at which children join social media is mostly set by platforms' own terms, usually 13, and checked with a simple date-of-birth box. Several Member States have started adopting their own limits, creating a patchwork across Europe. The proposed EU KIDS Act replaces this with a single standard, and puts the burden of proof on platforms to show they are safe for children.
What it proposes
As the Commission sums up, access to social media and video-sharing platforms with risky functionalities becomes gradual:
- Under 13: no social media account.
- 13 and 14: a limited account supervised by a guardian, with approved contacts and up to one hour a day.
- From 15: young people can open an account on their own.
Social media services and video-sharing platforms will be required to verify age. Age will be checked through tools independent from the platforms, based on the EU age verification blueprint, which confirms only whether a user is above or below a threshold, without tracking or profiling them.
Social media vs. other online services
The age rules apply only to social networking and video-sharing platforms with risky features such as: livestreaming to unknown audiences, contact with strangers, profile-based recommendations and endless feeds. These are the features the Commission sees as most harmful to minors, so access to them is staged by age.
Other services children use, such as online games and AI chatbots, are not part of this age staircase. App stores must instead use age rating systems and ensure children do not download apps below the rating. All these services are still covered by the Act's second pillar: safety by design. Every service in scope must avoid addictive design, make it easy for minors to block and mute other users, apply the safest settings by default (for example, private profiles for minors), and avoid spending traps.
Online services and app stores will have to use tools to check users' ages for existing accounts, while protecting their privacy. They can, for example, use the EU age verification app, which does not retain identity documents or biometric data.
Next steps
The proposal now goes to the European Parliament and the Council. Children, parents and educators can share their views in the Commission's public consultation until 3 December 2026.
Read our previous article on the EU KIDS Act.
Read more about the EU KIDS Act on the European Commission website.
More on policy and regulation
On 17 September 2026, the European Commission proposed the EU KIDS Act: one EU-wide set of rules to keep children and teenagers safe online.
Why it matters
Today, the age at which children join social media is mostly set by platforms' own terms, usually 13, and checked with a simple date-of-birth box. Several Member States have started adopting their own limits, creating a patchwork across Europe. The proposed EU KIDS Act replaces this with a single standard, and puts the burden of proof on platforms to show they are safe for children.
What it proposes
As the Commission sums up, access to social media and video-sharing platforms with risky functionalities becomes gradual:
- Under 13: no social media account.
- 13 and 14: a limited account supervised by a guardian, with approved contacts and up to one hour a day.
- From 15: young people can open an account on their own.
Social media services and video-sharing platforms will be required to verify age. Age will be checked through tools independent from the platforms, based on the EU age verification blueprint, which confirms only whether a user is above or below a threshold, without tracking or profiling them.
Social media vs. other online services
The age rules apply only to social networking and video-sharing platforms with risky features such as: livestreaming to unknown audiences, contact with strangers, profile-based recommendations and endless feeds. These are the features the Commission sees as most harmful to minors, so access to them is staged by age.
Other services children use, such as online games and AI chatbots, are not part of this age staircase. App stores must instead use age rating systems and ensure children do not download apps below the rating. All these services are still covered by the Act's second pillar: safety by design. Every service in scope must avoid addictive design, make it easy for minors to block and mute other users, apply the safest settings by default (for example, private profiles for minors), and avoid spending traps.
Online services and app stores will have to use tools to check users' ages for existing accounts, while protecting their privacy. They can, for example, use the EU age verification app, which does not retain identity documents or biometric data.
Next steps
The proposal now goes to the European Parliament and the Council. Children, parents and educators can share their views in the Commission's public consultation until 3 December 2026.
Read our previous article on the EU KIDS Act.
Read more about the EU KIDS Act on the European Commission website.
- < Previous article
- Next article >
More on policy and regulation
- < Previous
- Next >
More on policy and regulation
Related articles
