The EU Kids Act would make every in-scope platform store a parent-to-child account link
The Commission's proposal bars under-13s, holds 13-to-15-year-olds to an hour a day through accounts created from a parent's, and threatens fines of up to 6% of global sales. Council and Parliament have not voted.
The Watch · Security desk
What happened
- The European Commission announced the EU Kids Act, a proposal to restrict social media access for under-15s across all member states.
- Under-13s would be barred from platforms, 13-to-15-year-olds limited to an hour a day through mini accounts set up from a parent or guardian's account, and only 15-year-olds could open their own.
- As a binding regulation it would supersede national schemes in France and Spain, with no opt-out for member states.
Why it matters
- What it costs cost The penalty ceiling is measured against global sales, so the size of a company's EU under-15 userbase does not bound what non-compliance costs it.
- Who's exposed exposure Compliance would put verified minor identities, the adult accounts they hang off and per-user time counters inside services that never held that data before. Each of those stores becomes something to defend.
- Who has to decide decision Platform engineering teams have to choose between building age assurance and parental linkage before the vote or carrying the schedule risk of a text the Council can still rewrite.
- What it limits constraint Work already done against French or Spanish national rules may have to be unpicked, since the BBC reports the Commission has warned member states to repeal laws passed before the act takes effect.
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The daily cap in the draft is a metering requirement. Metering cannot be done on the client. One hour a day works out to seven hours a week per account [20], counted server-side, bound to one verified person, and reconciled across phone, tablet, browser and console [5]. Online games and AI chatbots sit in scope alongside TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and other video sharing platforms [10].
A mini account is created through the parent's or guardian's account [5]. So the service ends up storing an association between a child's login and an adult's, plus whatever age band it relied on and a running usage counter [21]. The privacy objection to the bans has landed on the age check itself, and on teenagers handing over personal information to prove their age [3]. The Commission says age would be verified through the EU's existing age verification app and that no personal data would be collected or shared [22]. That answer covers the age proof; the link between the two accounts is a platform-side record [21].
Beyond the age gates, platforms would have to prove they are safe by design and submit detailed child safety plans [7][9]. Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament on Thursday that "for every person under 18, the platforms must follow the principle of safety by design, no toxic or addictive features, no traps, etc" [11]. She also said "an age limit does not mean letting tech companies off the hook for the content on the platform" [12]. Recommender configuration and autoplay defaults become evidence in a filing, owned by whoever runs those systems.
No obligation lands until member states agree the text and the European Parliament approves it [2]. Von der Leyen said the Commission had "looked at Australia", which banned social media platforms for under-16s last year [13]. France shows the drafting risk. The Macron government's own under-15 ban was blocked last month by the country's top court, which ruled it infringed freedom of expression, and ministers have since amended the plans [16].
Enforcement against the same design features is already running under existing rules. In July the Commission's preliminary findings said infinite scroll, autoplaying videos and personalised recommendations could encourage "compulsive use", particularly among children and teens, and told Meta to change the design of Facebook and Instagram or face a heavy fine [17]. A Meta spokesperson told the BBC the company disagreed with the findings, "which don't accurately take into account the significant steps we've taken to protect teens" [18]. In August Meta agreed an $18bn settlement with US states and territories over claims that Facebook and Instagram harmed children, and denied wrongdoing as part of it [19].
An integration point for external age assurance survives most redrafts of a text like this, and so does per-identity session accounting that does not copy a parent's credentials into a child's session. The age bands and the hour limit are the numbers most exposed to change, since member states may try to strengthen or weaken the proposals and questions about enforcement are already open [8].
What to watch
- The Council and European Parliament votes, and whether the 13-to-15 hour cap survives them intact.
- Whether the Commission publishes technical detail on how the age verification app would attach to a parent-created mini account.
- The outcome of the Commission's July preliminary findings against Meta on Facebook and Instagram design.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence72
- Adoption15
- Hype gap+30
- Incentives70
- Confidence66
Perspective Coverage
3 publishers- Builder
- Builder 25%
- Operator
- Operator 47%
- Investor
- Investor 28%
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
The EU announced plans to restrict social media access for under-15s across member states; the legislation is called the EU Kids Act.
- [2]
The new plans need to be agreed by EU member states and approved by the European Parliament.
- [3]
Some critics of social media bans for children cite privacy concerns, worrying about teenagers being forced to submit personal information during age verification.
- [4]
Under the plans, under-13s would be banned from accessing platforms.
- [5]
Those aged 13 to 15 would only be able to access platforms for an hour per day via "mini accounts" set up through their parent or guardian's social media account.
- [6]
Under the act, only children aged 15 and over would be able to set up their own social media accounts.
- [7]
The European Commission said social media companies would need to prove platforms were safe by design or face fines of up to 6% of their global sales.
- [8]
Questions have already been raised about how the EU-wide legislation would be enforced, the plans are likely to face opposition, and individual member states may try to strengthen or weaken the proposals.
- [9]
Von der Leyen said companies would be required to submit detailed child safety plans if the legislation is approved.
- [10]
The restrictions would affect TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat, and also YouTube and other video sharing platforms as well as AI chatbots and online games.
- [11]
"For every person under 18, the platforms must follow the principle of safety by design, no toxic or addictive features, no traps, etc," von der Leyen said, addressing the EU Parliament on Thursday.
- [12]
Von der Leyen said that "an age limit does not mean letting tech companies off the hook for the content on the platform".
- [13]
Von der Leyen said the Commission had "looked at Australia", which banned social media platforms for under-16s last year.
- [14]
The proposed EU-wide legislation would supersede national plans such as those of France and Spain, and member states would not be able to opt out of what would be a legally binding regulation.
- [15]
The BBC reports it is understood the Commission has warned some member states they would need to repeal any national laws passed before the EU Kids Act comes into effect.
- [16]
The Macron government drew up legislation for a ban on social media for under-15s, but last month France's top court blocked it, ruling that it infringed upon freedom of expression; French ministers have now amended their original plans.
- [17]
In July the EU said Meta must change the "addictive" design of Facebook and Instagram or face a heavy fine; in preliminary findings the Commission said features such as infinite scroll, autoplaying videos and personalised recommendations could encourage "compulsive use", particularly among children and teens.
- [18]
A Meta spokesperson told the BBC it disagreed with the findings "which don't accurately take into account the significant steps we've taken to protect teens".
- [19]
In August Meta agreed an $18bn settlement with US states and territories to resolve claims that Facebook and Instagram harmed children, and denied any wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
- [20]
A one-hour daily cap for 13-to-15-year-olds is seven hours per week per account.
- [21]
Because a mini account for a 13-to-15-year-old is set up through a parent or guardian's account and is capped at an hour a day, the platform must hold a stored association between the child's account and the adult's, together with a usage counter.
- [22]
The Commission has said age would be verified using the EU's preexisting age verification app, and no personal data would be collected or shared.
Sources
4 independent publishers whose own reporting we read for this story.
- bbc.comEU announces plan to restrict social media access for children
1 article · September 17, 2026
- politico.euParents, privacy, parliaments: The battle begins for von der Leyen’s social media ban – POLITICO
1 article · September 17, 2026
- thecyberexpress.comChildren Under 13 Could Be Barred From Social Media Under New EU Plan
1 article · September 17, 2026
- therecord.mediaEuropean Commission set to push social media restrictions, safety requirements into law
1 article · September 17, 2026
Topics and entities
Topics
- Online Child Safety
- Platform Design Regulation
- EU Digital Regulation
- Age Verification