EU KIDS Act: What Digital Service Providers Need To Know

The European Commission published its proposal for the EU KIDS Act on 17 September 2026. The proposed Regulation would introduce an EU-wide framework for minors’ access to certain digital services, combining age-based access rules with requirements on age assurance and safety by design.

The proposal could have implications for social media and video-sharing platforms, online games, app stores, AI companions and general-purpose conversational chatbots. The legislative process is only beginning, however, and both the scope and individual requirements may change.

Key takeaways

• The proposal applies to a broader range of services than social media alone.
• Minors under 15 would face restrictions on independently creating accounts on certain social networking and video-sharing services.