The European Commission has proposed the EU Kids Act, which would ban social media access for children under 13 and require parental supervision for 13- and 14-year-olds. The proposal aims to reduce risks to children’s mental health by limiting exposure to harmful content and addictive platform features, while placing greater responsibility on technology companies.

Under the plan, under-13s could use guardian-managed, child-friendly video services with safeguards such as one hour of daily screen time, while 13- and 14-year-olds could use supervised sub-accounts. Platforms would have to restrict recommendation algorithms, infinite scrolling, nighttime notifications, unsolicited contact from strangers and emotionally dependent AI chatbots, with age checks required for users. Enforcement would use existing Digital Services Act structures, potentially including fines of up to six per cent of global annual turnover, although the proposal still faces legal and technical challenges, including privacy concerns over age verification and freedom-of-expression objections.