Age checks planned for social media and video-sharing platforms.
The European Commission’s EU Kids Act proposal sets out age-based access rules for social media and video-sharing platforms deemed risky. The text also aims to make binding certain safety measures set out in the Digital Services Act guidelines on the protection of minors.
For covered services, the proposal establishes phased access: no accounts for users under 13, accounts under close parental supervision between 13 and 15, and independent accounts in a safety-designed environment between 15 and 18. Services using personalised recommendation systems or offering uninterrupted content consumption fall within the threshold.
The proposal provides for the use of the European age verification scheme. For teenagers, parents would have to create accounts and demonstrate that they are parents. For existing accounts, verification would not be required if the provider can establish with a high degree of certainty that the user exceeds the age threshold, a standard the text does not define in detail.
Non-profit encyclopaedias, scientific archives, educational services, and platforms for developing and sharing open-source software are exempt. No exemptions are planned for small and medium-sized enterprises. Safety-by-design measures also cover online games, chatbots, AI companions, and app stores.
According to the EFF, the proposal did not undergo a full impact assessment.
