Story perspectives

EU to propose banning under-15s from social media

By Drooid · Sep 14, 2026, 10:37 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

EU Commission will propose banning under-15s from social media, video-sharing, AI chatbots and games.
Ursula von der Leyen and tech commissioner Henna Virkkunen will unveil the EU Kids Act on Sep 17.
Draft creates age tiers: under 3 no access; 3-12 parent-controlled; 13-14 limited intro accounts; 15+ unrestricted.
Platforms must verify ages, add safe-by-design features and pay supervisory fees for EU enforcement.

History

Historical Context

The United States passed the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act in 1998, taking effect in April 2000 and empowering the FTC to fine 15,000 violators a total of $1.5 billion through 2022. Building on that model, the European Commission—led by President Ursula von der Leyen and tech commissioner Henna Virkkunen—has proposed the EU Kids Act to extend age-verification rules to under-15 users.

1 of 2

Story summary

EU Commission will propose banning under-15s from social media, video-sharing, AI chatbots and games.
Ursula von der Leyen and tech commissioner Henna Virkkunen will unveil the EU Kids Act on Sep 17.
Draft creates age tiers: under 3 no access; 3-12 parent-controlled; 13-14 limited intro accounts; 15+ unrestricted.
Platforms must verify ages, add safe-by-design features and pay supervisory fees for EU enforcement.

1 / 2