The European Union has announced plans to restrict social media access for children under 15 across its member states, and the Brussels apparatus is once again reaching into daily life with a legally binding rule that would override national laws. Under the proposed EU Kids Act, children aged 13 to 15 would only be able to access platforms for an hour a day through mini accounts set up via a parent or guardian’s social media account, while children under 13 would be banned from accessing platforms.
Brussels Sets the Terms
The European Commission said social media companies would need to prove their platforms were safe by design or face fines of up to 6% of their global sales. That’s the language of market discipline, dressed up as protection. Ursula von der Leyen said the move would "put parents back in the driving seat" and give them "the tools to help their children navigate a safer world." She also told the European Parliament that "an age limit does not mean letting tech companies off the hook for the content on the platform" and said that if the legislation is approved, companies would be required to submit detailed child safety plans.
Von der Leyen said, "For every person under 18, the platforms must follow the principle of safety by design, no toxic or addictive features, no traps, etc." The wording is neat. The machinery behind it is not. The Commission wants platforms, not public institutions, to carry the burden of proving compliance, while the EU sets the rules and threatens fines. Children aged 15 and over would be able to set up their own social media accounts.
The restrictions would apply not only to TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat, but also to YouTube, other video-sharing platforms, AI chatbots and online games. The scope is wide. The state’s reach is wider.
National Laws, Then the EU Takes Over
Some EU countries, including France and Spain, have already announced their own plans to restrict social media for children. The proposed EU-wide legislation would supersede those measures, and member states would not be able to opt out of what would be a legally binding regulation. The Commission has warned some member states they would need to repeal any national laws passed before the EU Kids Act comes into effect. So much for local autonomy. The hierarchy speaks, and the capitals are expected to fall in line.
The new plans still need to be agreed by EU member states and approved by the European Parliament. Questions remain about enforcement, and the plans are likely to face opposition in the months ahead. The electoral circus rolls on, but the basic structure stays the same: decisions made above, compliance demanded below.
France’s top court blocked a French ban on social media for under-15s last month, ruling that it infringed freedom of expression, and French ministers have since amended their original plans. That ruling slowed one national version of the same impulse, but it didn’t end the appetite for control. It just changed the paperwork.
Safety, Surveillance, and the Platform State
Critics of social media bans for children cite privacy concerns, saying teenagers could be forced to submit personal information during age verification. The Commission said age would be verified using its preexisting age verification app and that no personal data would be collected or shared. The promise is familiar: collect less, know more. The apparatus insists it can sort children by age without touching personal data, while building another layer of digital gatekeeping into everyday life.
Von der Leyen had previously proposed a social media delay for children in Europe, saying in May that "the discussion about a minimum age for social media can no longer be ignored." The policy was also trailed in her annual address on Wednesday. The Commission has been preparing this for months, not improvising it. In July, the EU said Meta must change the addictive design of Facebook and Instagram or face a heavy fine. In preliminary findings, the European Commission said features such as infinite scroll, autoplaying videos and personalised recommendations could encourage compulsive use, particularly among children and teens.
A Meta spokesperson said the company disagreed with the findings, saying they "don't accurately take into account the significant steps we've taken to protect teens." In a separate case, Meta agreed in August to a $18bn settlement with US states and territories to resolve claims that Facebook and Instagram harmed children, while denying wrongdoing. The platforms deny, the regulators threaten, and the users remain the terrain on which both sides bargain.
The Commission said its proposal built on findings from its special panel on child safety online, which recommended age-appropriate regulation for children with different guidance for each age group. It also cited EU survey data showing 92% of respondents considered strengthening children’s protection online a top policy priority. Von der Leyen said the Commission had "looked at Australia" when putting together the proposal. Australia banned social media platforms for under-16s last year, but the ban has been difficult to enforce, with Communications Minister Anika Wells admitting earlier this month that no tech firm had been fined despite research showing many under-16s were still on platforms. A similar ban for under-16s is set to come into force in the UK in spring next year.
The pattern is plain enough. Brussels writes the rulebook, national governments test the same controls, courts trim the edges, and the platforms keep operating inside the system that profits from the very behaviour officials now claim to fear. Children get age gates. Companies get deadlines. The institutions get to call it protection.