Strasbourg, 17 September 2026
On Thursday, the EU Commission has adopted the EU Kids Act to enhance the online safety of children throughout the Union. The proposal prohibits social media platforms from accessing children under the age of 13 and sets an EU-wide minimum age for minors to open an account of their own at the age of 15, thereby ensuring a gradual approach. The Kids Act also reverses the burden of proof. Now, service providers will have to show that their services are age-appropriate and safe by design.
Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “Today, our children are engaging with the most sophisticated technologies ever created. Technology that was never created with their wellbeing in mind. Our Kids Act is reversing the burden of proof – it is for platforms to show they are safe by design. And we put parents back in the driving seat, giving them the tools to help their children navigate a safer online world.”
The proposed EU Kids Act is structured around four pillars:
1. Social media delay
The EU Kids Act proposes that children can create autonomous accounts on social media services, only from the age of 15.
For children between 13 and under 15, the proposal calls for parental control, enabling guardians to set up mini accounts that children can access through the guardian’s account. This would allow them to access age-appropriate social media and video-sharing platforms. In addition, services available on the mini accounts must be designed with safeguards, such as limited social contacts and limited screen time up to one hour per day, recognising the role of guardians in supporting the autonomous and safe development of their children online.
Children between 3 and under 13 cannot access social media, but they can access specially designed child-friendly video-sharing services through accounts managed by their guardian. For that purpose, the platforms need to offer parents or guardians an easy-to-use tool to restrict the use of the adult’s device to such child-friendly services, when it is passed on to children, and limit the child’s exposure up to a maximum of one hour per day.
2. Safety-by-design
The EU Kids Act imposes a number of obligations for all online services offering social media services, video sharing, online video games, AI companions and chatbots to users below the age of 18.
These include a ban on addictive features and profiling-based recommender feeds dragging minors into ‘rabbit holes’ of harmful content. It also includes prohibiting infinite scroll without stopping points, reward tricks, and push notifications during sleeping hours, as well as unsolicited contact from strangers. In addition, AI companions and chatbots must be turned off by default and cannot simulate interpersonal relationships in ways that create emotional dependency.
Profiles for minors must be private by default, with geolocation, camera and microphone access turned off. Online services must also offer easy ways for minors to block and mute users, effective time-management tools, and safe recommender systems that minors can control, tune and reset.
3. Privacy-preserving age assurance
Under the EU Kids Act, online services and app stores must use age assurance tools. They can, for example, use the EU age verification app, which does not retain identity documents or biometric data, thereby meeting the highest privacy-preserving safeguards. Member States will be closely involved in setting up this ecosystem.
In addition, providers of social media services and video-sharing platforms will be called to perform age verification when a user opens a new account.
When it comes to existing accounts, providers have to estimate the user’s age based on reasonable proxies (e.g. account creation date, credit card details).
4. Effective enforcement
The proposal reverses the ‘burden of proof’, making the providers of very large online platforms responsible for proving that their services are ‘safe by design’.
They will be obliged to submit a compliance plan to the Commission, and to an independent auditor that has to thoroughly assess the new service, feature or functionality. The Commission can request the provider to propose corrective measures if based on the auditor’s report, it considers that the compliance plan contains any shortcoming.
The enforcement framework builds on the structures already in place under the Digital Services Act and the Artificial Intelligence Act, making use of established mechanisms and existing expertise. The proposal introduces expedited enforcement procedures against providers in case of noncompliance with the EU Kids Act, where the Commission should conclude investigations within 90 days.
Next steps
The legislative proposal has been submitted to the European Parliament and Council, with a view to launching the legislative process for their examination and adoption. Considering the clear demand for urgent and comprehensive action at Union level, it is essential that the act is adopted swiftly.
Background
Today’s proposal builds upon the report and recommendations of the Co-Chairs of the Special Panel on Child Safety Online, Dr Maria Melchior and Prof. Dr. Jorg M Fegert. President von der Leyen convened the Special Panel to provide expert input on the EU’s framework for child safety online.
The Special Panel, which was composed of more than 60 experts, including representatives of civil society organisations, youth representatives, parents, educators, child psychiatrists, public health specialists, neurologists, and tech specialists, was first convened in March 2026 and met three times ahead of the delivery of the report in July 2026.
Furthermore, the proposal reflects growing calls among Europeans for greater protection for children online, with 92% of Europeans considering the need to further strengthen children and young people’s protection online as a top policy priority, whether from cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content, addictive design or other risks, according to theSpecial Eurobarometer on the Digital Decade 2026.
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Quote(s)
Today, our children are engaging with the most sophisticated technologies ever created. Technology that was never created with their wellbeing in mind. Our Kids Act is reversing the burden of proof – it is for platforms to show they are safe by design. And we put parents back in the driving seat, giving them the tools to help their children navigate a safer online world.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
With our EU Kids Act, we make sure our children can enjoy their rights online – to learn, stay connected and explore. We also give parents the tools to accompany their kids to navigate a safe digital world. All of this by keeping the pressure high on platforms, because they must prove their services do not harm.
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
Source – EU Commission
Statement by President von der Leyen with Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on the EU Kids Act
Strasbourg, 17 September 2026
Let me start with some striking figures. They are from this year’s Eurobarometer in July. 92% of Europeans say we should strengthen the protection of children and young people online. Around 70% are concerned about cyberbullying, harassment and grooming. And there is another striking fact: Young people in Europe spend on average 4 to 6 hours a day on screens. For those who started using social media before the age of 10 it is even more. They spend around 7 to 8 hours online, every day. This is almost a full working day for an adult. Too many children are being exposed too early to an online world they are not ready to navigate. An environment where bullying can follow you home. Where every mistake can be recorded forever. And childhood and puberty is about making mistakes, learning from these mistakes and improving. Children can be targeted by scams and predators. Today, our children are engaging with some of the most sophisticated technology ever created. And it was not created with children’s wellbeing and development in mind. Platforms are designed to capture attention. Algorithms learn from our behaviour. They exploit it to make us click, react and keep scrolling. And too often these addictive features are a business plan. The goal is to keep the children online and monetise their attention.
Today there is a robust body of evidence on the harm that social media does to a developing brain and personality. And too well parents see the effects of this. We all know the consequences: sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety, self-harm, addictive behaviour, and – tragically – suicide. Parents cannot compete or keep up against algorithms – and they should not have to.
Therefore, I convened a Special Panel of experts. We spoke to young people. We looked at Australia and others who have moved ahead. We have listened to Member States. And now it is time for the European Union to act. This is why the EU Kids Act, which is approved today by the College, will set clear boundaries in the digital world – just as we do it on a daily basis in the real world. We are taking a gradual and differentiated approach. Each age has its own sensitivities. And therefore, each will have its own tailored protection level. So in sum: no social media under the age of 13; no personal account under the age of 15. That means, from 13 until a child turns 15, only mini accounts set up and supervised by parents or guardians, with limited features and time restriction to one hour a day, maximum. And between 15 and 18, safe design will be an obligation for the platforms.
To be very clear, an age limit does not mean letting tech companies off the hook, for the content on their platforms. Platforms have been playing fast and loose with our children’s mental health. We are now reversing the burden of proof. Now they have to prove to us that they are safe. Therefore, for every person under 18, the platforms must follow the principle of safety by design. No toxic or addictive features, no traps, etcetera. Age will be verified using EU-certified tools like our Age Verification App. This is built on ‘zero-knowledge proof.’ It means that the platform only learns one single thing – whether you are old enough to allow access or not. For years, platforms have denied the harm they created. They have tried to avoid prescriptive rules and set rules at their own pace. We are changing that with the Kids Act. So instead of authorities proving harm after the fact, the biggest platforms must submit detailed child safety plans in advance. This means again that safety will come first. This puts parents in the driving seat. And the burden of proving safety on the platforms, where it belongs.
Today we are focusing on the Kids Act which is an important step. This Act sets a clear framework, backed by society and by law. But to conclude, I also want to add two more remarks that are important. First, I want to emphasise how important it is to educate parents, teachers and children on the risks and benefits of the digital world. And the importance of digital literacy for our children is huge as they grow up. And my second remark: Of course, not only the minors are at risk. I was speaking about addictive designs. For example, they are harming everyone, whether they are minors or grown-ups. This is why we need a wider framework to the Digital Fairness Act. We will propose it in autumn. And today, the focus is on the Kids Act.
Thank you.
Source – EU Commission
Remarks by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on the EU Kids Act
Strasbourg, 17 September 2026
“Check against delivery”
As the President said, we need to take control of our kids’ future.
Parents, teachers, national leaders, children, they have all been talking to me about the harmful impact of social media on children and teenagers.
We all know that social media are only about grabbing attention and keeping children glued to their screen.
This has to stop.
With our Kids Act, we are building on our on-going efforts in minors’ protection.
Because protecting minors online remains our absolute priority. The EU Kids Act builds on the system we have already put in place to protect children. We have behind us 3 years of Digital Services Act enforcement.
With investigations against TikTok and Meta, including on the protection of minors – addictive designs, rabbit-hole effects, weak age assurance, endless feeds of harmful content.
We came to preliminary conclusions against major pornographic platforms, all failing to put effective age verifications in place.
The same goes for artificial intelligence.
The President spoke about girls, and boys, finding their photos turned into AI-generated sexualised images.
Let me be clear: this is illegal – whether real or AI-generated. This is not only illegal, this is outrageous.
Here too, we have the tools in place. The AI Act prohibits AI systems that manipulate people or exploit the vulnerabilities of children. Those prohibitions are fully in force, and we will enforce them strongly.
But today we go a step further, with the EU KID Act, tailored for our most vulnerable ones.
We need to ensure children enter the online world gradually, in a safe environment, being only exposed to age-appropriate content.
So we need to be very clear on the limits. Below 13, no accounts.
Between the age of 13 and 15, children will be able to access social media only through guardian’s accounts.
At this age, guardians play a crucial role to set up essential safeguards, such as time limits, pre-approving new contacts; or even a maximum limit of users their child can access.
Another element, and the most important one, are the safety-by-design rules. The Kids Act includes a clear list of do’s and don’ts. And this applies to all users under the age of 18.
For instance, strangers cannot message kids, kids can’t get targeted with personalised ads or algorithms based on past activity. And especially, no more addictive features.
And let me be clear: social media platforms, video sharing platforms, AI companions and AI chatbots and online videogames, all must meet safety obligations.
Let me give you an example of what “safety by design” means:
Take AI chatbots and ‘AI companions’. With the EU Kids Act, they can no longer act like human friends in ways that make children emotionally dependent on them.
Chatbots inside kids’ games or apps can’t turn on by themselves, can’t be pushed to children, and must be easy to switch off.
And as I said, these rules must be there by default. In Europe, it is now for companies to prove their services are safe. And we expect them to test the risks to children before launch and monitor the harm afterwards.
For these measures to be truly effective, the EU Kids Act puts in place a robust framework on age verification, age assurance and parental guidance. Proving your age online should be easy – and it should reveal nothing else about you. Absolutely nothing else than your age.
Because for parents and children, our solutions must be simple and empowering.
Parental tools should be easy, interoperable and on by default. And proving parental responsibility should take one click.
Big Tech don’t get to decide how our children spend their days. We want to empower parents and guardians, without putting all the responsibility on them.
Being safe online does not mean giving up other rights: access to age-appropriate information, privacy, participation and expression remain guaranteed, by default and by design.
We will take this proposal forward with Member States, industry, civil society, researchers – and with children and young people themselves.
With the Kids Act, we want to give parenting back to parents.
And childhood back to children.
Source – EU Commission