The European Commission has officially presented a draft law banning social media for children under 13. It will now be considered by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU

The European Commission has presented the EU KIDS Act, a draft law on childrenʼs online safety. It stipulates that children under the age of 13 will not be able to use social networks. The draft law will now be considered by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.

This is stated in an official document of the European Commission.

For children aged 13 to 15, it is proposed to create special accounts under parental supervision. They will have limited functions, in particular regarding contacts and usage time — up to one hour per day. Children aged three to 13 will be able to use only special childrenʼs video services through their parentsʼ accounts for up to one hour per day.

The new rules will apply not only to social networks, but also to video platforms, online games, AI companions and chatbots. The platforms want to ban features that can promote addiction, including endless scrolling, intrusive notifications at night and recommendations that lure children into harmful content.

Minors’ profiles should be private by default, with geolocation, camera, and microphone turned off. AI companions and chatbots for minors should also be turned off by default. They should also not be allowed to simulate human relationships in a way that could create emotional dependency.

Online services and app stores will have to verify the age of users. Separately, the European Commission wants to change the principle of platform liability. Large online services will have to prove themselves that their products are safe for children even at the stage of launching new features.

Social media restrictions for children

In December 2025, Australia became the first country to ban social media for children under the age of 16. The countryʼs authorities explained their decision by saying that social media can harm children — for example, affecting their physical and mental health.

Spain also wants to ban social media for children under 16. And Ireland has launched a test phase of a digital wallet with an age verification function, which should limit teenagersʼ access to social media. Greece has said it will ban access to social media for children under 15 from 2027.

In July, the EU announced plans to restrict access to social media for children under 13. They will be allowed to use social media for limited periods of time and under adult supervision.

On July 14, the European Commission asked Meta to change the design of social networks Instagram and Facebook because it could be “addictive”. If they don’t, the companies could face fines for violating the rules. In February, the European Commission issued a similar opinion on TikTok, saying it targets young users and uses an addictive design.

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