Will children be banned from social media? Brussels is preparing a 'surprise'

On September 17, the European Commission presented a draft law on the protection of children online — the EU KIDS Act. If adopted, the document will close social media for children under 13 years old, allow teenagers aged 13 to 15 to create only 'mini-accounts' under parental control, and require platforms to remove 'addictive' features for all minors. The unified rules for 27 countries must be approved by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. France attempted to introduce its own ban for children under 15 years old: the parliament passed it on July 21, but less than a month later, the Constitutional Council overturned the restriction, reports Radio France Internationale. Brussels is proposing a set of restrictions. Social media will be completely closed to children under 13 years old. From the age of three, they will have access only to special children's video services, and through a parent-linked account for no more than one hour a day. Teenagers aged 13 to 15 will have the opportunity to create limited accounts. A personal account can be created from the age of 15. The Commission itself refers to this not as a ban, but as a 'delay' before social networks will appear in the lives of minors. An expert group convened by von der Leyen in the spring recommended setting a strict threshold of 13 years, but left countries the right to raise it at the local level. The group included more than 60 specialists, led by epidemiologist Maria Melchior from the French Inserm and child psychiatrist Jörg Fegert from Ulm. However, the Commission decided to impose a stricter ban. The second part of the law concerns all users under 18 years old. Its requirements apply to social media, video platforms, online games, AI companions, and chatbots. Infinite feeds, notifications during nighttime hours, and recommendation algorithms based on personal data will be prohibited.