The EU is done relying on tech companies to police themselves. Children online are very vulnerable to predatory algorithms, cyberbullying, and privacy exploitation. Nearly 60% of European youth are suffering emotional and psychosocial issues due to digital platforms. The new EU regulations will shift the legal burden onto platforms to actively block, filter, and modify their interfaces based on a child’s age.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
The proposed EU Kids Act plans to establish an age limit of 15, preventing younger children from opening social media accounts. Children under 3 will be banned entirely from these platforms, while those aged 3 to 12 may only access strictly vetted, child-friendly services. Young teens aged 13 and 14 will require formal parental consent to open highly restricted “introductory accounts” that enforce strict daily screen-time limits and block communication from strangers.
To enforce these age limits without compromising user privacy, tech platforms will be required to integrate with a secure, anonymous European age-verification system; either the EU Age Verification App, the European Digital Identity wallet, or third party apps.
Beyond age gating, the legislation bans addictive features like infinite scrolling, autoplay, and continuous push notifications, while restricting engagement-based recommendation algorithms. Minor accounts will be private by default, disabling location tracking and open direct messaging. Tech companies that fail to comply with these rules face severe financial penalties of up to 6% of their global annual revenue.
Can this framework succeed in keeping kids safe online? Or is it overstepping the limits of digital freedom? Our poll is anonymous and takes only a few seconds to complete. The results will be featured across XL’s EU-wide coverage, including videos, articles and newsletters, and will help shape our reporting as we examine how Europe can secure its position in the age of artificial intelligence.
