New Social Media Regulation and Age Limit Proposal for Children in Europe

The new EU Children's Act proposal, prepared by the European Commission, envisions age limits and new restrictions across a wide range from social media platforms to online games in order to increase the digital safety of children. The regulation, which is at the proposal stage, needs to be approved by the EU Council and the European Parliament to enter into force.

According to the regulatory proposal announced by the European Commission on September 17, it is planned to completely block children under the age of 13 from accessing social media services. Children between the ages of 13 and 15 are envisioned to use the platforms only through restricted accounts managed by their parents or guardians, while opening personal accounts would only be permitted starting from the age of 15.

The proposal covers not only social media platforms, but also video sharing services, online games, artificial intelligence chatbots, and digital companion applications. Limiting the infinite scrolling feature that triggers children to stay in front of screens for long hours and instant notifications during sleeping hours, as well as making profile privacy and age verification systems mandatory, are among the targeted measures.