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European Commission planned under-15 curbs on social and video platforms

Ursula von der Leyen and Henna Virkkunen were set to unveil the EU Kids Act draft on Sept. 17, with staggered rules for chatbots and online games.

The European Commission drafted a Kids Act that would keep children under 15 off open social media, video-sharing services such as YouTube, large language model chatbots, and unrestricted online games until they reach that age.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Henna Virkkunen, the commission executive vice president for technological sovereignty, security, and democracy, were scheduled to present the proposal on Sept. 17 before the text goes to EU member states and the European Parliament.

A commission working document framed the goal as letting minors use digital services while shielding them from abuse. "[The Kids Act] needs to limit the access of tech companies to our children, and not the other way around," the document said.

Access would rise in steps. Children under 3 would have no access. Ages 3 through 12 could use only child-oriented services with parent-controlled accounts, limited contact between users, and time caps. Thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds could ask parents for introductory accounts on social and video platforms under the same contact and time limits. At 15, users could open their own accounts subject to standard restrictions on adult content.

The draft would charge affected platforms a supervisory fee to fund enforcement, require age checks to open accounts and download games, and force removal of addictive feeds.