EU prepares Kids Act: strict regime for social media and AI chatbots used by under-15s

The European Union is preparing its strictest common regime so far for children’s access to digital services. A European Commission draft seen by Reuters establishes age tiers for social media, video-sharing platforms, AI chatbots and online games. Independent accounts would be available from the age of 15, while younger children would use restricted and parent-controlled modes.

The initiative is being referred to as the EU Kids Act, but as of 15 September 2026 the Commission has not officially published the proposal. Details in the document seen by Reuters may change, and after its presentation the text will still have to be negotiated with EU member states and the European Parliament. It is therefore an anticipated legislative proposal, not a ban currently in force.

What age tiers does the Kids Act draft propose?

The draft described by Reuters provides for gradual access based on the child’s age and the risk profile of the digital service:

children under 3 would have no access to the services covered by the draft;
children aged 3 to 12 could use only child-friendly services with strict safety standards and full parental control;
13- and 14-year-olds could have introductory social-media and video-platform accounts opened by their parents, with limited contacts and strict time limits;
from the age of 15 teenagers could create their own accounts.

This is not a simple single-button ban for every user under 15. The draft creates different account and access modes under which a platform’s obligations would change according to the child’s age and the type of service.

Which digital services could be affected?

The draft has a significantly wider scope than traditional social networks. Reuters identifies four main groups:

social-media services;
video-sharing and YouTube-type platforms;
AI chatbots;
online games and gaming platforms.

The requirements could consequently affect not only the world’s largest technology platforms but also European and Latvian companies offering digital products accessible to children, community functions, chatbots, user profiles or game downloads.

The precise scope of companies, exemptions and possible thresholds has not yet been made public. Existing Digital Services Act guidelines on the protection of minors do not apply to micro and small enterprises, but this does not automatically mean that the future Kids Act will contain the same exemption.

What new obligations could platforms face?

The draft seen by Reuters would require companies to avoid addictive designs and harmful content feeds. Platforms would also have to provide effective parental-control tools and an easy way for children to report harmful content.

Social-media and video-sharing platforms would be required to verify a child’s age when a new account is opened. Online gaming platforms would have to verify age before a game can be downloaded.

AI chatbots are included in the proposal, but the publicly available information does not yet show whether they will face the same verification moment and account tiers as social networks. This will be one of the most important points to examine in the Commission’s official proposal.

Companies would also pay a supervisory fee to finance regulatory enforcement. The method for calculating the fee, its amount and the company thresholds have not been published.

Will age verification require sending a passport to every platform?

Not necessarily. The European Commission has already developed an age-verification solution that allows users to prove that they meet an age threshold without disclosing their exact date of birth or identity to the platform.

Proof of age could be issued on the basis of an electronic identity, passport, identity card or another trusted source. The platform would then receive only anonymous confirmation that the user meets the required threshold. The Commission says the solution is designed to prevent proofs from being used to track a person’s activity across services.

The technical solution was declared ready for deployment in April 2026, and member states have been urged to make it available by the end of 2026. The Kids Act is therefore not being prepared in an entirely theoretical environment: the EU is already building infrastructure for practical age checks.

How would the Kids Act differ from the current Digital Services Act?

The Digital Services Act already requires platforms accessible to minors to provide a high level of privacy, safety and security. The Commission’s 2025 guidelines recommend making children’s accounts private by default, reducing the risk of harmful recommendations and disabling features that encourage excessive use.

The Commission identifies autoplay, push notifications, read receipts, engagement streaks and other mechanisms designed to keep children on a platform for longer. The guidelines also address safeguards around AI chatbots and gaming mechanisms such as virtual currencies and loot boxes.

The Kids Act draft would go further by creating more specific age limits, access modes and a funded supervisory framework. Its final legal effect can be assessed only after the Commission publishes the official proposal.

What would the Kids Act mean for Latvian technology companies?

Latvian companies whose products are or may be used by children should not wait until the final regulation is adopted. Age-based access may require changes to user registration, data storage, profile visibility, recommendation algorithms and customer-support processes.

The impact may be particularly significant for:

game developers and distribution platforms;
providers of AI chatbots and virtual assistants;
video, content and community platforms;
education-technology and children’s app developers;
products containing chat, public profiles, recommendations or in-game purchases.

Compliance costs may include integration of age-verification services, development of child-account modes, parental-consent flows, safety audits, content moderation and a supervisory fee. At the same time, a common privacy-preserving EU solution could reduce the need for each company to store copies of children’s identity documents.

What should a company examine now?

Determine whether the service is accessible to minors and whether the company knows users’ actual ages.
Identify features that may encourage excessive use, unwanted contact or distribution of harmful content.
Assess whether the system can technically separate child, teenage and adult account modes.
Examine how anonymous proof of age could be integrated without collecting unnecessary identity data.
Plan parental-control, reporting, moderation and safety-audit functions.
Budget for possible development, legal-compliance and supervisory costs.

When could the new rules take effect?

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen may announce details of the initiative in her State of the Union address on 16 September 2026. The Kids Act is expected to be presented on 17 September together with EU technology chief Henna Virkkunen.

Negotiations with member states and the European Parliament will follow. Reuters says many months of debate will be needed before the measure can become law, and the final age thresholds, obligations or exemptions may still change.

The main conclusion: companies do not yet have to block users under 15, but the EU’s policy direction is clear. Children’s digital accounts, AI conversations and access to games will increasingly be governed by verified age, safe design and regulatory oversight rather than platforms’ voluntary rules alone.