European Commission proposes minimum age of 15 for social media accounts

The European Commission has proposed new EU-wide rules aimed at limiting children’s exposure to risks on social media and other digital services. The EU KIDS Act would prevent social media platforms from allowing access to children under 13 and set 15 as the minimum age for opening an autonomous account.

The proposal is based on a gradual approach. Children aged 13 to under 15 could use social media through parental-controlled mini accounts, with safeguards including limited social contacts and screen time of up to one hour per day. Children aged 3 to under 13 could access specially designed video-sharing services under parental control, also with a one-hour daily screen-time limit.

The Commission said the proposal responds to recommendations from its Special Panel on Child Safety Online and growing public support for stronger protection of children online. According to the 2026 Special Eurobarometer on the Digital Decade, 92% of Europeans consider further strengthening the protection of children and young people online a top policy priority.

The KIDS Act would also introduce safety-by-design requirements for online services used by people under 18. These would cover social media, video-sharing services, online video games, AI companions and chatbots. Measures would include restrictions on addictive features, profiling-based recommender feeds, infinite scrolling, reward mechanisms and push notifications during sleeping hours. Services would also have to use private profiles by default and restrict unsolicited contact from strangers, geolocation, and access to cameras and microphones.

Age assurance would be another central element. Providers would have to use privacy-preserving tools that do not retain identity documents or biometric data. Age would be checked when a new account is created, while existing accounts could be assessed using reasonable proxies such as account-creation dates or credit card details. Member states would be involved in establishing the age-assurance ecosystem.

The proposal would also shift the burden of proof to providers of very large online platforms. They would have to demonstrate that their services comply with the requirements and submit compliance plans to the Commission and an independent auditor. Enforcement would build on mechanisms established under the Digital Services Act and the Artificial Intelligence Act, with expedited procedures envisaged for non-compliance and investigations to be concluded within 90 days.

The proposal has now been submitted to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union for examination and possible adoption.