The European Union is preparing sweeping new rules on how children and teenagers use social media, with the European Commission pushing a framework that includes strict age limits, mandatory age verification and stronger parental controls.
The Commission is expected to present the so-called EU Kids Act on Thursday, September 17, one of the most ambitious European legislative plans to date for protecting minors online.
According to a draft cited by Reuters, the new regulation would cover social networks, video-sharing platforms, online games, AI chatbots and digital AI companions. Brussels wants to create a common European framework limiting children's unrestricted access to services such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and AI applications.
Age tiers replace a blanket ban
The plan does not set a single, absolute ban for all minors. Instead, it creates a system of different access levels depending on age.
For children aged three to twelve, accounts could be created and fully controlled by parents, and only services meeting strict safety standards would be allowed. For thirteen and fourteen-year-olds, the draft provides for special "starter" accounts with parental supervision, limited contact with strangers and strict time limits on use. From age fifteen, teenagers would be able to create their own accounts independently.
Mandatory age checks
One of the biggest changes concerns confirming users' ages. Social media and video-sharing platforms would be required to check the age of every new user when an account is created, while online gaming platforms would have to verify age before allowing a game to be downloaded.
The Commission has already developed a European age-verification system that lets a user prove they belong to a specific age category without revealing their identity or other personal data. The same technology could be adapted not only for the 18-plus threshold but also for age bands such as "13+".
Crackdown on addictive design
The plan does not stop at age. The EU Kids Act is expected to impose a "safe by design" principle, requiring that services used by children be designed from the outset with safety in mind.
The draft envisages restricting features considered addictive, such as mechanisms that keep users constantly inside an app, along with tighter controls on recommended feeds. Companies would also have to provide easy tools for reporting harmful content and effective parental controls.
Social media, gaming and AI companions in one framework
Notably, the new European framework would not be limited to traditional social media. Its scope is expected to include Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, video platforms, online games, AI chatbots and digital "AI companions". Educational tools, by contrast, are expected to be exempted.
The extension to artificial intelligence systems shows the Commission now treats AI chatbots as part of the same digital ecosystem that minors are exposed to every day.
Pressure from parents and governments
The move by Brussels follows months of intense political pressure. France, Greece, Spain, Austria and Denmark have pushed for stricter common European rules, and several states have already moved toward national bans or restrictions.
Greece has already notified the European Commission of a plan restricting social media use by minors under fifteen. France has also moved toward a fifteen-year age limit, while other countries are discussing even higher thresholds.
TikTok already under scrutiny
The Commission has already begun taking a tougher stance toward platforms. In July 2026, it preliminarily found that TikTok may be violating the Digital Services Act because the settings on minors' accounts did not sufficiently ensure a high level of privacy and security.
The Commission had noted, among other things, that minors' accounts could, under certain conditions, become public, with their content suggested to strangers.
A supervisory fee for companies
The new system would not rely on recommendations alone. According to the draft, companies falling within the scope of the rules would pay a supervisory fee to fund the enforcement and monitoring of the new rules.
The supervisory structure is expected to resemble the Digital Services Act and the AI Act, with the European Commission playing a central role over the largest, highest-risk platforms.
Not yet law
Despite the scope of the measures, the changes will not take effect immediately. The plan the Commission presents will have to go through negotiations with the European Parliament and member states, meaning the details could change significantly before a final vote.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to reveal some of the plan's main directions in her State of the Union speech on Wednesday, with the full plan due to be presented a day later.
Brussels' message, however, is already clear: the era in which a child could open an account simply by stating a false age is now in Europe's crosshairs.
