EU KIDS ActWhat the EU Plans to Do to Protect Children Online

Children and adolescents are to be better protected online—that is the goal of the so-called EU KIDS Act. To this end, the European Commission plans, among other things, to introduce common age restrictions for social media platforms across the entire EU. As a result, individuals under the age of 13 will generally no longer be allowed to have their own social media accounts. In addition, social media platforms, video platforms, games, app stores, and AI chatbots are to be made safer in the future. We explain exactly what the proposed legislation entails and what might change for children and teens in the future.

What the EU Plans to Do to Protect Children Online

The European Commission presented the legislative proposal for the EU KIDS Act on September 17, 2026. It includes several measures designed to enhance the safety of children and adolescents online. The proposals are divided into four areas: delaying access to social media, enhancing safety from the design stage of digital services, improving age verification while minimizing data collection, and strengthening enforcement of the rules.

1. Delayed Access to Social Media

The draft legislation stipulates that children under the age of 13 should generally not have access to their own social media accounts. However, this age group will still be able to use video platforms designed specifically for children. Parents or legal guardians can manage such accounts on their behalf. Usage is to be limited to a maximum of one hour per day.

For children between the ages of 13 and under 15, so-called “mini-accounts” are provided. These are set up through a parent’s or guardian’s account and supervised by them. This is intended to allow children to use age-appropriate social networks and video platforms. At the same time, special safeguards will apply to these accounts, such as limiting social interactions and daily screen time to a maximum of one hour.

According to the proposed legislation, young people will not be able to open their own social media accounts without prior parental consentuntil their 15th birthday. The general protective provisions of the KIDS Act also apply to this user group.

According to a fact sheet on the EU KIDS Act, children aged 0 to 3 are not supposed to have any access to screen-based media. However, the actual legislative proposal does not mention this provision.

2. Safe Design of Services

The second pillar of the EU KIDS Act focuses on the digital services themselves. The basic idea is that services should be designed from the outset to be as safe as possible for minors (“Safety by Design”). The requirements are intended to apply, among other things, to social networks, video platforms, online video games, as well as AI companions and chatbots, when these services are used by minors. Certain features that may encourage children to use the services excessively or for prolonged periods are to be restricted or prohibited. These include, for example, endless scrolling without interruption, certain reward mechanisms, or push notifications during bedtime.

3. Reliable and Data-Minimal Age Verification

To effectively implement the planned age limits, providers must be able to verify the age of their users in a reliable and data-minimal way. For this purpose, a system for age verification developed by the EU, for example, can be used. This system works without the platforms receiving users’ personal documents or biometric data.

4. Stronger enforcement of the rules

The European Commission aims to shift more responsibility onto providers in the future. In particular, very large online platforms will be required to demonstrate that their services are designed to be safe for minors. This is intended to reverse the “burden of proof, ” so that parents, children, or authorities no longer have to prove that a service is harmful. Instead, providers will be required to demonstrate that they meet the safety requirements.

Should the European Commission identify violations of the guidelines by platforms, the review process is to take a maximum of 90 days in the future. This would ensure that potential violations can be corrected or penalized promptly.

Enforcement will rely on the existing structures of the Digital Services Act and the AI Act . The KIDS Act is therefore not intended to create an entirely new regulatory framework, but rather to supplement existing responsibilities and mechanisms.

When will the EU KIDS Act take effect?

The EU KIDS Act is not yet law; it is currently a proposal. The European Commission submitted it to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU on September 17, 2026. Both institutions must now deliberate on the proposal. The final version may therefore still change during the legislative process. It is not yet known how long it will take for the proposal to become a law that must be implemented in all EU member states.