The European Union will propose a ban restricting under 15s from social media, video sharing platforms, AI chatbots and online games, in the most sweeping plan yet to protect children from online dangers, a European Commission document seen by Reuters shows.
Concerns have mounted globally about the impact on children’s health and safety of major outlets, including Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, TikTok, Google’s YouTube and ChatGPT.
The EU proposal is part of an EU Kids Act that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen will present on Thursday. The former may announce some details in her State of the Union address on upcoming EU policy on Wednesday.
“The Union’s approach should allow minors to benefit from the huge potential of digital services, while protecting them from abuse and exploitation. It needs to limit the access of tech companies to our children, and not the other way around,” the document said.
The Commission’s proposal, which will also cover video gaming platforms, allows for gradual access to the various services according to age, while the obligations imposed on the companies will depend on the type of service and the age of the children.
