The Commission President Proposes No Social Media for Children Under 13 in the EU
September 16, 2026 - 9:59 am
European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers a statement at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on April 14, 2021. Credit: Alexandros Michailidis via Shutterstock
The European Union plans to stop children under 13 from using social media and prevent anyone under 15 from having a personal account, as announced by Ursula von der Leyen in her State of the Union address on Wednesday.
"No social media under the age of 13. No personal account under the age of 15," she stated, according to Bloomberg.
Still, children aged 13 or 14 could have accounts with parental supervision and limited features. This announcement settles a debate among EU countries regarding the age limit, which remained undecided until Monday, with Commission experts advocating for 13 and France opting for 15.
The Commission president's proposal includes both ages if the text remains as written today. More details will be shared on Thursday when the Commission will present the EU Kids Act.
Key Points:
- Strict age checks required on social media, video platforms, app stores, online games, AI companions, and chatbots.
- Fines up to 6% of annual sales for non-compliant companies.
- Children under three excluded, while teenagers aged 13 and 14 would have restricted accounts, according to Euronews based on a draft obtained the following day.
- The Commission's age verification app, ready since April, could be used by platforms to verify ages using zero-knowledge proofs.
- Privacy concerns led France to reject its national under-15 ban in August, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to request an EU-wide rule.
- No agreement is expected quickly due to ongoing divisions among governments; the proposal must gain support from both sides before becoming law, a process that can take years.
Story by Ana-Maria Stanciuc, Editor-in-Chief at TNW.