EU Unveils KIDS Act: No Social Media Under 13
European Commission Executive Vice-President Virkkunen presented the EU KIDS Act, which bars social media use under 13, allows 13-15 year-olds access only through guardian accounts, and imposes safety-by-design obligations for users under 18. Platforms must prevent stranger messaging, personalised ads and addictive features, and a framework for age verification and parental tools is established. The Digital Services Act had already led to investigations into TikTok and Meta.
Impact and considerations
The Act will reshape compliance obligations for social media, video-sharing, AI chatbot and online game platforms in the EU. Platforms must test child risks before launch and monitor harm afterwards, with age verification and parental tools on by default, raising product-design and compliance costs for affected compan…
Key points
- No social media under 13; ages 13-15 can access only through guardian accounts.
- For ages 15-18, platforms must meet safety-by-design obligations, with stranger messaging, personalised ads and addictive features banned.
- Safety-by-design rules apply to social media, video-sharing, AI companions and chatbots, and online videogames.
- Platforms must test child risks before launch and monitor harm afterwards, with age verification using EU-certified tools.
- The Act builds on three years of Digital Services Act enforcement, including investigations into TikTok and Meta.
Sources and time
- Primary source
- European Commission
- Other sources
- 0
- First source publication
- 17 Sept 2026, 15:52
- Page published
- 17 Sept 2026, 18:00
- Last updated
- 17 Sept 2026, 15:52
- Original links
- European Commission Press Corner：Remarks by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on the EU KIDS Act (opens in a new tab)Primary source · en · Published 17 Sept 2026, 15:52