At her annual speech discussing the state of the European Union, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has strongly advocated for strict social media regulations targeting children under the age of 13. Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, she asserted that “it is now time for Europe to act.” She stated that the Commission will soon propose the legislative text-the ‘KIDS ACT’-and assured that the approach would be graduated and differentiated. This means that each age group will have its own specific sensitivities and, consequently, its own tailored safety level.
In detail, the plan dictates that children under 13 should not use any social networks, and individuals under 15 should not have an independent user account. For the age bracket between 13 and 15, only “mini-accounts” would be allowed. These accounts would need to be set up and supervised by parents, and they would feature limited functions and defined time restrictions. Furthermore, platforms targeting adolescents aged 15 to 18 would be legally required to implement safe design standards.
