In brief: The EU is continuing its crackdown on allowing children access to social media. A proposed new law wouldn't just target these platforms; it would also restrict children under the age of 15 from accessing video-sharing platforms, chatbots, and online games, with exceptions for supervised use.
Reuters reports that the EU Kids Act is due to be presented on Thursday. However, the draft could still change and needs agreement from EU countries and the European Parliament before becoming law.
There would be different rules for different ages. Those 15 and over could open their own accounts, while parents could set up introductory social media and video-sharing accounts for 13- and 14-year-olds, with restricted contacts and strict time limits.
Children aged 3 to 12 would be limited to child-friendly services through accounts fully controlled by parents. Under-3s would have no access.
The proposal would also require age checks when opening social media and video-sharing accounts, and before children download online games. Companies would have to avoid addictive designs and harmful feeds – a longstanding issue with these platforms.
Ignoring the rules could prove expensive for the companies. The draft includes potential fines of up to 6% of an organization's annual sales. For Meta, which reported 2025 revenue of $200.97 billion, that would mean a maximum fine of roughly $12.1 billion. Its scope also extends beyond the usual social media firms to app stores and AI companions.
The move follows the EU's earlier crackdown on TikTok and Meta over addictive algorithms and child safety failures. In May, Brussels singled out features such as endless scrolling, autoplay, and push notifications, while questioning whether Meta was doing enough to keep younger children off its platforms.
Age verification is already part of that push. The Commission says its age-checking app is ready for deployment and has urged member states to make it available by the end of this year. Getting a common system into users' hands would help platforms implement the proposed restrictions, theoretically.
Similar measures have been appearing in the US. California last week signed new rules banning addictive social media features for under-16s, including autoplay and personalized algorithmic feeds. Its companion chatbot protections require independent child safety audits and annual risk assessments, according to Governor Gavin Newsom's office. There are also penalties of up to $1 million per child when large social media companies negligently cause harm.