The European Commission is moving forward with a unified European system of age restrictions for social networks, online games, and artificial intelligence applications. The initiative aims to limit children's exposure to addictive or harmful digital content.
The New Age Thresholds
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined the core principles of the proposal, establishing two clear age limits:
- Under 13: No access to social media networks.
- Ages 13 and 14: Access only through specialized 'junior accounts' requiring parental consent and supervision.
These junior accounts are expected to feature stricter privacy settings, limited functionality, and potential time limits on usage.
Scope: From Social Media to AI Chatbots
The new restrictions will be part of the upcoming EU Kids Act, extending protection beyond traditional social platforms. The scope includes video-sharing platforms and AI applications serving as digital 'companions.'
Digital platforms will be responsible for reliably verifying user ages and providing tools for parental control. Furthermore, they must curb features that encourage excessive use, such as autoplay and infinite scrolling. Non-compliant companies face significant penalties, with fines reaching up to 6% of their global annual turnover.
Implementation Challenges
While the initiative follows similar moves in countries like Australia, the EU's legislative path remains long. The EU Kids Act must be formally presented and approved by both the European Parliament and the 27 member states, a process that could take several years. A primary concern remains how to verify age effectively without creating new risks to user privacy.
