19 hrs ago
Europe Proposes EU KIDS Act Restricting Social Media for Children
The European Commission wants to make online services safer for children.
Children under 13 would not be allowed to have social media accounts.
Children aged 13 and 14 could use smaller accounts controlled by a parent or guardian.
These accounts could allow up to one hour of age-appropriate social media and video-sharing each day.
Independent accounts would generally be available from age 15.
Platforms would have to check users’ ages with certified systems.
The proposal would also limit addictive designs, targeted advertising, stranger contact, and notifications during sleeping hours.
Children’s profiles would be private by default, while cameras, microphones, geolocation, AI companions, and chatbots would be turned off by default.
The plan still needs approval and could change before becoming law.
The European Commission proposed banning social media accounts for children under 13.
Children aged 13 and 14 could use parent-controlled mini accounts limited to up to one hour daily.
Independent accounts would be available only to users aged 15 and older under the proposal.
Platforms would have to restrict addictive features, profiling-based feeds, personalized advertising, and unsolicited contact with minors.
The EU KIDS Act still requires approval from EU governments and the European Parliament and could be revised.
- Who
- The European Commission, led by President Ursula von der Leyen, proposed rules affecting online platforms and users under 18.
- What
- The proposed EU KIDS Act would set age limits for social media and impose child-safety requirements on social media, video-sharing services, online games, AI companions, and chatbots.
- Where
- Across the European Union.
- When
- Platforms would have to review existing accounts within six months after the rules begin applying; the proposal was presented on Thursday, according to the article.
- Why
- The proposal aims to protect children online and replace differing national rules with common protections across the European Union.
Child Safety and Common Rules
Privacy, Freedom, and Enforcement Concerns
Age restrictions
Child Safety and Common Rules
The European Commission says clear age limits and supervised accounts would protect children from online risks and support their well-being.
Privacy, Freedom, and Enforcement Concerns
France’s Constitutional Court previously struck down a national under-15 measure, saying it infringed on freedom of expression.
Age verification
Child Safety and Common Rules
Certified age-assurance systems would help platforms enforce the proposed limits independently of the platforms themselves.
Privacy, Freedom, and Enforcement Concerns
CCIA Europe warned that collecting age information, identity credentials, and links between children and guardians at large scale could create privacy and cybersecurity risks.
Common EU rules
Child Safety and Common Rules
The EU KIDS Act is intended to replace a patchwork of national regulations with consistent child protections across the bloc.
Privacy, Freedom, and Enforcement Concerns
CCIA Europe said the proposal could overlap with other EU laws, while the challenges of enforcing similar restrictions elsewhere suggest implementation could be difficult.
Key facts
- Under-13 accounts
- Social media accounts would be banned for children under 13.
- Ages 13-14
- Guardians could create limited, supervised accounts with up to one hour of daily age-appropriate social media and video-sharing.
- Independent accounts
- Only users aged 15 and older could have independent accounts under the proposed age structure.
- Age verification
- Certified systems independent of platforms, including a planned European Digital Identity Wallet, would verify ages.
- Restricted features
- The proposal would restrict addictive features, infinite scrolling, reward tricks, profiling-based feeds, personalized advertising, and unsolicited contact from strangers.
- Sleeping hours
- Push notifications would be prohibited during eight consecutive sleeping hours between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.
- Enforcement
- Platforms with at least 45 million monthly active users in the EU would need compliance plans, and noncompliant companies could face fines of up to 6% of global annual sales.
Quotes
Ursula von der Leyen
President of the European Commission
“Today, our children are engaging with some of the most sophisticated technology ever created, and it was not created with children's well-being and development in mind.”
republicworld.com
“will set clear boundaries in the digital world just as we do it on a daily basis in the real world”
republicworld.com
Daniel Friedlaender
Head of CCIA Europe, a technology industry lobbying group
“Collecting age information, identity credentials, and data linking children with parents or guardians at this scale would undoubtedly create an attractive target for cybercriminals.”
republicworld.com
Sources
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