Under the proposal, children between 13 and 15 would not be able to create autonomous social media accounts. Instead, parents could create 'mini accounts' that the minor would use through the parent's account to access age-appropriate social media and video-sharing platforms. These accounts would include safeguards such as limited social contacts and a maximum daily use time of one hour.
Children aged 3 to 13 would be barred from social media altogether, but they could use video-sharing services specifically designed for children through accounts managed by a parent. Platforms would be expected to provide a simple tool to limit an adult's device, when entrusted to a child, to those services and to cap exposure at one hour per day.
The text introduces a reversal of the burden of proof for very large online platforms: providers would have to demonstrate that their services are 'safe by design' and appropriate for the age of their users.
The Eu Kids Act would impose obligations on online services offering social media, video sharing, online video games, AI assistants and chatbots to users under 18. Among the measures are bans on addictive features and recommendation feeds based on profiling that can pull minors toward harmful content, as well as bans on infinite scrolling without break points, reward mechanisms and push notifications during sleep hours. Unsolicited contact from strangers would also be prohibited.
Minors' profiles would be private by default, with geolocation, camera and microphone switched off. Services would also have to offer simple tools to block and mute other users, time-management tools and safe recommendation systems that minors can control, modify and reset.
Presenting the proposal at a press conference, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said 92% of Europeans believe protection for children and young people online must be strengthened, and about 70% are concerned about cyberbullying, harassment and grooming. She added that young people in Europe spend an average of four to six hours a day in front of a screen, and that those who started using social media before the age of 10 spend about seven to eight hours online daily, almost a full working day for an adult. 'Too many children are exposed too early to the online world,' she said.
Von der Leyen also announced that in the autumn the Commission will propose a broader package, the Digital Fairness Act, providing a framework of measures on platform use. She said minors are not the only ones at risk, pointing to addictive platform designs that harm both minors and adults. 'That is why we also need a broader regulatory framework: the Digital Fairness Act. We will propose it in the autumn; today the focus is on the Eu Kids Act,' she said.