Von der Leyen wants no social media under 13. It is still only a draft.

The EU has announced plans to restrict social media access for under-15s across its member states, in a bid to increase wellbeing and tackle online safety.

Under the plans, there would be a gradual approach to children using social media which would include banning under 13s from accessing platforms.

Those aged 13 to 15 would only be able to access platforms for an hour per day via “mini accounts” set up through their parent or guardian’s social media account.

The European Commission said social media companies would need to prove platforms were safe by design or face fines of up to 6% of their global sales. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said the move would “put parents back in the driving seat”.

She added the legislation – called the EU Kids Act – would give parents “the tools to help their children navigate a safer world”.

The restrictions would not just affect well-known apps such as TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat but also YouTube and other video sharing platforms as well as AI chatbots and online games.

“Too many children are being exposed too early to an online world they are not ready to navigate – an environment where bullying can follow you home, where every mistake can be recorded forever,” von der Leyen said.

Under the act, only children aged 15 and over would be able to set up their own social media accounts.

But von der Leyen told the EU Parliament on Thursday that “an age limit does not mean letting tech companies off the hook for the content on the platform”.

She added that under the legislation – if it is approved – companies would be required to submit detailed child safety plans.

“For every person under 18, the platforms must follow the principal of safety by design, no toxic or addictive features, no traps, etc,” she said.

Some individual EU countries have already announced their own separate plans to restrict social media for children, including France and Spain.

Any potential EU-wide legislation would supersede those, but it would be possible for individual EU members to then go further than the bloc’s action.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3j4jz8vpz1xo

The European Union will ban children under 13 from social media and allow only limited, supervised access until age 15 under plans unveiled Wednesday by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.

A global backlash against social media has piled pressure on policymakers, with a rising body of evidence showing negative effects on children’s physical and mental health.

“It is time for Europe to act,” von der Leyen said during her annual keynote address to the European Parliament. “It is we who decide our rules, not big tech,” she warned.

Australia last year became the first country to ban social media for those under 16, triggering similar moves elsewhere, but the European Commission chief said the 27-country bloc would take a more “gradual” approach.

“No social media under the age of 13. No personal account under the age of 15,” she said. “That means from 13 to under 15, only mini accounts, set up and supervised by parents or guardians, with limited features and a time restriction of one hour a day.”

“And between 15 and 18, safe design will be an obligation for the platforms.”

https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-eu-chief-unveil-social-media.html