New European Commission Regulatory Bill to Protect Youth

The European Commission has announced the EU Kids Act bill, which bans social media for children under 13, raises the age for independent account creation to 15, and prevents AI chatbots from forming emotional attachments with minors.

Scope of the EU Kids Act Bill

The new legislative package presented by the European Commission aims to reduce the risks young people face in the digital world. Within this scope, stricter measures are being introduced for social media platforms.

The new rules have been expanded to include not only popular social networks, but also online video games and artificial intelligence-based digital assistants.

Gradual Restrictions by Age Groups

Within the framework of the age-based gradual approach determined by the Commission, access to high-risk digital services is completely banned for children under the age of three.

Children between the ages of three and twelve will only be able to use special services under parental control, while those in the thirteen to fourteen age group will be able to open limited accounts with parental permission.

Bans on Artificial Intelligence Chatbots

The bill prohibits artificial intelligence companions accessible to minors from mimicking human relationships and featuring designs that create emotional dependency.

Accordingly, popular assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude will not be able to act as friends to children and will have to undergo special security tests before being released to the market.

Sanctions and Legal Process

It is stated that platforms and companies that fail to comply with the rules face heavy fines of up to six percent of their global turnover.

For the bill text to become law, negotiation processes with the European Parliament and member state governments in the Council must be completed.