--- title: EU Kids Act would ban social media for under-13s and... description: The European Commission has proposed the EU Kids Act, draft legislation restricting minors' access to social media, AI chatbots, video platforms, and gaming.... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/eu-kids-act-would-ban-social-media-for-under-13s-and-limit-teen-access-to-one-hour-a-day-qi3z1i5ln twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: EU Kids Act would ban social media for under-13s and limit teen access to one hour a day | daily.dev og:description: The European Commission has proposed the EU Kids Act, draft legislation restricting minors' access to social media, AI chatbots, video platforms, and gaming.... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/eu-kids-act-would-ban-social-media-for-under-13s-and-limit-teen-access-to-one-hour-a-day-qi3z1i5ln og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/Qi3Z1i5Ln.png og:image:alt: EU Kids Act would ban social media for under-13s and limit teen access to one hour a day og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # EU Kids Act would ban social media for under-13s and limit teen access to one hour a day **[Collections](https://daily.dev/sources/collections)** · 3 min read · 3 upvotes · 2 comments ## Summary The European Commission has proposed the EU Kids Act, draft legislation restricting minors' access to social media, AI chatbots, video platforms, and gaming. Under-13s would be banned from social media entirely, 13-15 year-olds capped at one hour daily via parent-managed accounts, and AI chatbots off by default for all minors. Infinite scroll and reward mechanics would be banned for under-18s, with fines up to 6% of global revenue for non-compliance. The proposal still needs Parliament and member-state approval, with disagreement over the exact age threshold and Estonia opposing it outright; Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has publicly criticized the plan. ## Content The European Commission has published a draft of the EU KIDS Act, a regulation that would impose sweeping restrictions on how minors interact with social media, AI chatbots, and online games. The proposal is not final — it still needs approval from the European Parliament and member states — but it's moving unusually quickly, and the details are worth understanding now. ## What the age tiers look like The draft carves up childhood into distinct categories: - **Under 3:** No accounts at all - **3–12:** Parent-run accounts only - **Under 13:** Blocked from social media, AI chatbots, video-sharing platforms, and online gaming entirely - **13–15:** Limited "mini accounts" managed by parents, capped at one hour per day - **15–18:** Access permitted, but platforms must use child-friendly design, with AI chatbots switched off by default The headline number varies depending on who's talking about it. Von der Leyen framed it as a ban for under-15s; the operative text draws the hardest line at 13. There's active disagreement among member states about where exactly the threshold should sit — Estonia has come out against the proposal outright. ## What platforms would have to do For social networks and video platforms, the rules ban infinite scroll, tracking-based feeds, and reward mechanics for anyone under 18. Age-assurance tools would be required at the app store and platform level. AI chatbots and companions that simulate emotional relationships with minors are specifically targeted. The draft language is broad enough to cover most consumer-facing AI products, though LLM-powered NPCs interacting with a fictional player character — rather than the player directly — may fall outside scope. That distinction matters for game developers. ## What changes for online games The KIDS Act extends well beyond social media. Online games would face their own set of requirements: - **Login bonuses and time-based mechanics** that penalize players for not returning on a schedule would be restricted for minors - **Parental controls** and age assurance would be mandatory - **Contact between minors and other users** would need to be restricted by default - **Age-rating codes of conduct** beyond PEGI would be required The definition of "online game" in the draft is broad — broad enough to potentially cover everything from Roblox to disc-based multiplayer titles with online components. One notable inconsistency: language about loot box and virtual currency transparency appears in the recitals but is absent from the operative text for games. Whether that language carries any legal force is genuinely unclear. Non-compliance could bring fines of up to 6% of global annual turnover. ## The age verification problem The proposal has attracted criticism beyond the gaming industry. Enforcing age restrictions at scale means verifying who users actually are — which in practice means requiring adults to submit identity documents to access ordinary online services. Graphics programmer Seb Aaltonen put it bluntly: "Every adult has to scan their passport and send it digitally to be able to use any online services. Massive human rights downgrade for everybody just to enforce kids social media." Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has also objected publicly, framing the restrictions as a limit on young creators' rights. ## Where things stand The Commission adopted the proposal in Strasbourg, but parliamentary approval and member state sign-off are still required. Disagreements over the age threshold and the verification mechanism remain unresolved. The draft will likely change before anything becomes law — but given the pace it's moving, developers and platform operators should be paying attention now rather than waiting for the final text. ## Questions this post answers ### What does the proposed EU Kids Act say about age limits for social media? Under the draft EU Kids Act, under-13s would be blocked from social media entirely, ages 3-12 could only use parent-run accounts, and under-3s would have no accounts at all. Teens aged 13-15 would get a parent-managed mini account capped at one hour per day, while 15-18 year-olds would get platform access requiring child-friendly design. The exact age threshold (13, 15, or 16) is still under debate and could change before final approval. _Platform teams tracking evolving age-verification and minor-access rules can follow EU Kids Act developments on daily.dev._ ### What penalties would companies face for violating the EU Kids Act? Companies that fail to comply with the proposed EU Kids Act could face fines of up to 6% of their global annual revenue. The draft also requires app stores and platforms to implement age-assurance tools and bans infinite scroll, reward mechanics, and tracking-based feeds for anyone under 18. The proposal still needs approval from the European Parliament and EU member states before becoming law. _Engineers building compliance features for youth safety regulation can track this EU proposal's progress on daily.dev._ ## Community discussion Top comments from developers on daily.dev. **@akkitto** · 3 upvotes > Wolfenstein was banned in many ways, but I still played it as a child. These kind of bans are ridiculous and just want to make feel adults more safe and more "good" about what they do, that's the only purpose of such legislation. ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [EU KIDS Act](https://daily.dev/posts/eu-kids-act-ifnyxyznm) · Lobsters · 3 upvotes · 0 comments - [UK under-16s social media rules to reach into gaming and AI chatbots](https://daily.dev/posts/uk-under-16s-social-media-rules-to-reach-into-gaming-and-ai-chatbots-7iuvutovf) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [UK social media ban will restrict some features on game platforms](https://daily.dev/posts/uk-social-media-ban-will-restrict-some-features-on-game-platforms-aykosur19) · Game Developer · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Europe’s social media age shift](https://daily.dev/posts/europe-s-social-media-age-shift-gvcwnxux3) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [UK may ban social media for children under 16](https://daily.dev/posts/uk-may-ban-social-media-for-children-under-16-5pmlz7qhl) · TechCrunch · 1 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#privacy](https://daily.dev/tags/privacy), [#social-media](https://daily.dev/tags/social-media), [#regulation](https://daily.dev/tags/regulation) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/eu-kids-act-would-ban-social-media-for-under-13s-and-limit-teen-access-to-one-hour-a-day-qi3z1i5ln) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"EU Kids Act would ban social media for under-13s and limit teen access to one hour a day","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/eu-kids-act-would-ban-social-media-for-under-13s-and-limit-teen-access-to-one-hour-a-day-qi3z1i5ln","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/eu-kids-act-would-ban-social-media-for-under-13s-and-limit-teen-access-to-one-hour-a-day-qi3z1i5ln"},"datePublished":"2026-09-17T11:19:09.028Z","dateModified":"2026-09-23T13:46:38.729Z","description":"The European Commission has proposed the EU Kids Act, draft legislation restricting minors' access to social media, AI chatbots, video platforms, and gaming....","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/aa5ca24149041c58ca9e8fe739e4e684?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/aa5ca24149041c58ca9e8fe739e4e684?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Collections","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Collections","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--fk_6ycEi--/f_auto,q_auto/v1780996001/logos/collections?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/collections"},"commentCount":2,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/eu-kids-act-would-ban-social-media-for-under-13s-and-limit-teen-access-to-one-hour-a-day-qi3z1i5ln","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":3},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":2}],"keywords":"privacy,social-media,regulation","timeRequired":"PT3M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Collections","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/collections"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"EU Kids Act would ban social media for under-13s and limit teen access to one hour a day"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/eu-kids-act-would-ban-social-media-for-under-13s-and-limit-teen-access-to-one-hour-a-day-qi3z1i5ln","comment":[{"@type":"Comment","text":"Wolfenstein was banned in many ways, but I still played it as a child. These kind of bans are ridiculous and just want to make feel adults more safe and more “good” about what they do, that’s the only purpose of such legislation.","datePublished":"2026-09-17T12:17:42.532Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/Qi3Z1i5Ln#c-JPWznAtKN","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Daniel","url":"https://daily.dev/akkitto","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--FtwJqX4c--/f_auto/v1754900041/avatars/avatar_29TCpY2hJR72V3BlxPXzX?_a=BAMClqZW0"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":3}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/eu-kids-act-would-ban-social-media-for-under-13s-and-limit-teen-access-to-one-hour-a-day-qi3z1i5ln#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What does the proposed EU Kids Act say about age limits for social media?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Under the draft EU Kids Act, under-13s would be blocked from social media entirely, ages 3-12 could only use parent-run accounts, and under-3s would have no accounts at all. Teens aged 13-15 would get a parent-managed mini account capped at one hour per day, while 15-18 year-olds would get platform access requiring child-friendly design. The exact age threshold (13, 15, or 16) is still under debate and could change before final approval. Platform teams tracking evolving age-verification and minor-access rules can follow EU Kids Act developments on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What penalties would companies face for violating the EU Kids Act?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Companies that fail to comply with the proposed EU Kids Act could face fines of up to 6% of their global annual revenue. The draft also requires app stores and platforms to implement age-assurance tools and bans infinite scroll, reward mechanics, and tracking-based feeds for anyone under 18. The proposal still needs approval from the European Parliament and EU member states before becoming law. Engineers building compliance features for youth safety regulation can track this EU proposal's progress on daily.dev."}}]} ```