Officials in the European Union are moving to wall off children from artificial intelligence chatbots and social media platforms — a sweeping new child-safety push that would restrict Instagram, TikTok, and AI companions before age 15.
The European Commission plans to unveil the policy Thursday, according to Politico reporting. The proposal, called the EU KIDS Act, follows Meta’s $17.1 billion settlement in August with 47 U.S. states over claims the company designed its platforms to addict children.
The timing of the EU’s intervention reflects growing international concern over the mental health impacts of social media on young users. Lawmakers across multiple continents have been grappling with how to balance technological innovation with child protection, particularly as platforms have become increasingly sophisticated at capturing and retaining user attention. The EU’s move represents one of the most aggressive regulatory approaches to date, building on the bloc’s track record of leading global tech regulation through measures like the General Data Protection Regulation and the Digital Services Act.
“I don’t think these ages are appropriate for use of social media and AI companions. Kids as old as 16 have died by suicide as a result of a perceived emotional ‘relationship’ with AI.”
The EU plan establishes a tiered approach to age restrictions. Children under 13 could only create accounts made by their parents. Children between 13 and 15 would be given accounts with contact limits, screen time controls, and parental oversight.
Once children reach 15, they can create their own accounts without restriction.
This graduated framework attempts to recognize different developmental stages while maintaining protective boundaries. The approach acknowledges that younger children require more comprehensive protection, while teenagers transitioning toward adulthood may benefit from supervised exposure with built-in safeguards. However, the effectiveness of such tiered systems depends heavily on enforcement mechanisms and the willingness of platforms to implement robust age verification technologies.
“These types of age restrictions assume that kids are ready for use of these dangerous products. Even with guardrails, being on social media, using AI, gaming, streaming TV takes away from kids doing things in the real world because they are on technology,” Nicole Runyon, executive director of the Center for Responsible Technology, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
JUST IN: 🇪🇺 EU plans to restrict social media and AI chatbot use for children under 15. pic.twitter.com/K6URg7ULR1
— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) September 14, 2026
Runyon added that developmental harm happens when tech replaces real-world activity — physical movement, tolerating hard things, working through conflict resolution, and learning how to be bored.
Her concerns echo a broader debate among child development experts, educators, and parents about whether any amount of supervised social media use is appropriate during formative years. Critics of age-gating measures argue they don’t address the fundamental design of platforms that prioritize engagement over wellbeing, regardless of user age. The question of whether restrictions should focus on access or on reforming platform design itself remains unresolved in policy circles.
Companies would be required to pay supervisory fees to the European Commission under the proposal, Politico reported.
This fee structure mirrors the EU’s regulatory approach in other digital policy areas, where companies bear the cost of compliance oversight. The financial burden could prove significant for platforms operating across the EU’s 27 member states, potentially creating incentives for stronger self-regulation to avoid penalties or increased scrutiny.
Australia similarly began enforcing social media bans on accounts under 16 in December 2025. The country required Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to incorporate “reasonable steps” to keep children off their platforms.
The Australian precedent suggests a growing global consensus that existing self-regulatory approaches have failed to adequately protect children online. However, implementation challenges persist, including questions about privacy-preserving age verification methods and the risk that restrictions might simply push young users toward less regulated platforms or encourage deceptive account creation.
In the U.S., Florida bars children under 14 from social media accounts and requires parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds to use these platforms, according to Florida’s 2024 Online Protections for Minors law.
The patchwork of state-level regulations in America contrasts with the EU’s bloc-wide approach, creating compliance complexities for platforms that must navigate varying standards across jurisdictions. This fragmentation has renewed calls for federal legislation in the United States, though partisan divisions and free speech concerns have stalled comprehensive national measures.
The European Commission, Meta, and TikTok each did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
