The European Commission presented the EU KIDS Act proposal on 17 September 2026, describing it as a step towards a gradual uptake of social media by minors across the Union. The text is not yet law: the European Parliament and the Council still have to negotiate it.

The proposal would cover services used by children, including social media, video-sharing platforms, online games and AI companions or chatbots. The Commission points to risks such as design that keeps users on screen, unwanted contact, harmful content and the use of children’s personal data.

Access to social media would depend on age. Under 13, children would not be able to use those services, though they could still use child-friendly video-sharing through an account managed by a parent or guardian. From 13 to under 15 they would have a mini-account, also under parental control, with limited features and a one-hour daily cap. From 15 they could open and manage their own account.

Services used by minors would have to offer stronger protection by default: limits on infinite scroll, reward tricks and push notifications during sleeping hours, a ban on unsolicited contact from strangers, and private profiles by default. AI chatbots would have to be switched off by default and would no longer be allowed to foster emotional dependence.

Online services and app stores would have to check users’ ages, including through the EU age-verification app, which the Commission says does not retain identity documents or biometric data. For very large online platforms, the burden of showing that a service is safe for children would sit more clearly with the provider.

The initiative sits alongside the existing framework, including the Digital Services Act. Until a final text exists, the measures above remain proposals, not obligations already in force in every Member State, including Romania.

Image: Berlaymont, Brussels / Wikimedia Commons. An institutional headquarters, not children in a sensitive setting. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: EU KIDS Act: helping children navigate a safer online world | European Commission; Better internet for kids | European Commission.