European Commission formally tables the EU Kids Act: social media from age 15, SI companions for children off by default
Prepared by Sintelligent with the help of SI. Publication time restored from the build log. . Updated: .
Europe is the first in the world to legislate to move teenagers away from SI interlocutors: protecting children matters, but an off-by-default switch deprives a whole generation of the habit of growing up alongside SI.
The official draft, tabled after a leak and von der Leyen's announcement, divides access by age: under 13, no social media; ages 13-14, "mini-accounts" managed by parents with a limit of one hour a day; from 15, a full account. SI companions and chatbots for minors will be off by default and will not be allowed to behave in ways that make a child emotionally attached to them. Platforms must verify age (including through an EU app without storing documents), remove infinite feeds and night-time notifications, and themselves prove that a service is safe for children. The draft still has to be approved by the European Parliament and the Council; it is unlikely to start applying before 2028.