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EU Commission proposes EU Kids Act to regulate social media for minors
The European Commission has proposed the EU Kids Act, a legislative framework designed to enhance online protections for minors across the European Union. EU Commissioner for Technological Sovereignty Henna Virkkunen emphasized the urgency of the proposal, noting that the digital environment presents increasing risks to children through new services and features.
The proposal introduces age-specific regulations for digital platforms, including social media, video-sharing sites, online gaming, and AI chatbots. Under the proposed rules, children under 13 would be prohibited from using social media. For those aged 13 to 15, the act suggests the use of supervised mini-accounts, which would be subject to parental oversight, limited functionality, and a daily usage cap of one hour.
Users aged 15 and older would be permitted to create independent accounts, though platforms would still be mandated to implement safe design principles for all users under 18. The European Commission has launched a public consultation to gather input from parents, educators, and online platforms, while the European Parliament is set to debate the proposal.
Entities
EU Kids Act · European Commission · European Parliament · Henna Virkkunen · Meta · Ursula von der Leyen
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] The proposal prohibits social media use for children under 13. www.euranetplus.de · maszol.ro
- [● 2 SOURCES] Users aged 15 to 18 would be allowed to create independent accounts, but platforms would be required to implement safe design principles for all users under 18. www.euranetplus.de · maszol.ro
- [● 2 SOURCES] Children aged 13 to 15 would be permitted to use mini-accounts supervised by parents or guardians with limited functions and a one-hour daily time limit. www.euranetplus.de · maszol.ro
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The regulations would cover social media, video-sharing platforms, online gaming, and AI-based chatbots. maszol.ro
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The EU Kids Act aims to establish harmonized rules across the EU to ensure all children receive the same high level of online protection. maszol.ro