EU KIDS Act Proposal Would Harmonize Minor Online Protection
The European Commission's proposed EU KIDS Act introduces tiered age restrictions, safety-by-design duties, and certified age assurance for social media, gaming, and AI services, with fines up to 6% of global turnover.
The European Commission proposed the EU KIDS Act on 17 September 2026 to harmonize minor protection online, covering social networking, video-sharing, games, app stores, operating systems, AI companions and chatbots. It establishes tiered age restrictions (under-13 ban, guardian-controlled accounts for 13-15, autonomous from 15), safety-by-design obligations (banning addictive features like infinite scrolling, default off for engagement signals), and certified privacy-preserving age assurance. Enforcement includes compliance plans, independent audits, fines up to 6% worldwide turnover, and GDPR-level penalties by DPAs. The proposal overlaps with DSA, GDPR and EU AI Act, requiring integrated compliance. Denmark's draft bill sets a minimum age of 15 for VLOP social media, while the UK and Australia have separate under-16 bans. Adoption is unlikely before 2028. Sophisticated counsel should map services to scope, audit addictive designs, plan age verification, and align EU/UK programmes; VLOPs must prepare Article 5 compliance plans. Next watch: European Parliament and Council positions, and whether Denmark's bill influences the final text.