EU proposes KIDS Act to ban social media for under-13s

The European Commission has proposed the EU KIDS Act, a legislative package that would ban social media accounts for children under 13 and impose strict safety-by-design obligations on online platforms across the European Union. The proposal, submitted to the European Parliament and the Council for adoption, aims to create a unified standard for child protection online, replacing a patchwork of national rules. Under the proposed regulation, children between 13 and under 15 would not be able to create independent social media accounts. Instead, they could use parent-supervised "mini accounts" with access limited to age-appropriate services and a daily screen time cap of one hour. Children under 13 would be prohibited from accessing social media, though they could use specially designed child-friendly video-sharing services through guardian-managed accounts. The legislation shifts the burden of proof to online platforms, requiring them to demonstrate their services are safe by design for minors. This includes prohibiting addictive features such as infinite scrolling without stopping points, reward mechanisms, and push notifications during sleeping hours.