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EU KIDS Act — Social Media & Online Gaming Curbs for Under-15s
The EU is set to formally propose the 'EU KIDS Act,' which would ban children under 15 from opening their own social media, video-sharing, chatbot, and online gaming accounts, with tiered parental-supervised access for younger children. This represents a major EU-wide regulatory escalation on minors' digital and AI platform access.
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## Overview
The European Union is set to propose curbing access to social media, video-sharing platforms, chatbots and online games to children under the age of 15, according to a draft legal document seen by AFP (SCMP, September 15). The proposed new law, to be formally presented on Thursday, is dubbed the 'EU KIDS Act' (SCMP, September 15).
## Key Details
- The proposal would ban minors under 15 from opening their own accounts on social media, video-sharing platforms, chatbots, and online games (SCMP, September 15)
- A tiered system of access under parental supervision would apply for younger children (SCMP, September 15)
- Beyond age limits, the law would force digital giants to make changes to their platforms, though full details were not specified in initial reporting (SCMP, September 15)
## Significance
The EU KIDS Act would represent one of the most sweeping EU-wide regulatory interventions on minors' digital access to date, going further than individual member state actions (e.g., UK's under-16 social media ban efforts, Australia's enforcement regime). It would directly affect major platforms including Meta, TikTok, and AI chatbot providers operating in the EU market.
## Context
This follows a broader global regulatory wave targeting youth social media and AI chatbot use, including Australia's under-16 ban enforcement, the UK's own social media restriction push under Starmer, and Norway's near-ban on AI in elementary schools. It also intersects with ongoing EU AI Act and GDPR debates over platform obligations to minors.