--- title: "EU KIDS Act: How the European Union Will Build a Three-Tier Age-Access Control for Children's Use of Social Networks and AI Companions" description: "The European Commission is preparing the EU KIDS Act proposal with a three-tier access system: under 13, accounts are created only by parents; 13–15, restricted accounts with controls; from 15, independent registration." date: 2026-09-14T15:10:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/eu-kids-act-three-tier-age-access-control-children-social-media-ai tags: [eu-kids-act, social-media, age-restriction, ai-regulation, european-union, child-safety] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # EU KIDS Act: How the European Union Will Build a Three-Tier Age-Access Control for Children's Use of Social Networks and AI Companions ![EU KIDS Act: как Евросоюз построит трёхуровневый контроль доступа детей к соцсетям и ИИ-компаньонам](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/14/eu-kids-act-obmechenie-dostupa-detey-k-socsetyam-i-ii/eu-kids-act-obmechenie-dostupa-detey-k-socsetyam-i-ii-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - The EU KIDS Act introduces a three-tier access system: under 13 — only via parents; 13–15 — restricted accounts; from 15 — independent access. - The rules will cover social networks, video hosting, online games, and AI companions, but will not affect educational digital tools. - Platforms are required to implement reliable age-verification technologies; stricter requirements will apply to high-risk services. - Oversight is split: the European Commission monitors the largest players, national regulators — smaller platforms; funding comes through fees on tech companies. The European Commission is preparing a sweeping legislative proposal under the working title **EU KIDS Act**, which is set to fundamentally restructure the rules governing minors' access to digital services. The document aims to significantly restrict the use of social networks, video platforms, online games, and artificial-intelligence chatbots by children and teenagers under the age of 15. The initiative is being considered a logical continuation of the EU's existing digital architecture: as envisioned by its authors, the control mechanisms will be modelled on the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the AI Act, allowing child protection to be embedded within a single supervisory system rather than fragmented national rules. ### Three-Tier Age-Based Access System The key innovation of the proposal is a three-tier model in which a user's rights depend directly on their age. For children **under 13**, accounts may be created exclusively by parents or legal guardians, who will have full control over the child's activity; access will be open only to services that meet the highest safety standards. Teenagers **aged 13 to 15** will receive special "introductory" accounts with screen-time limits, a ban on contact with strangers, and mandatory parental controls. The full right to independently register and configure their own accounts will only be granted from the age of **15**. Importantly, the new rules will not affect educational digital tools, which will remain outside the scope of the restrictions. ### Age-Verification Technologies and Oversight To comply with the law's requirements, platforms will be required to integrate reliable age-verification technologies. The proposal provides for a differentiated approach: services posing a high level of risk to minors will be subject to stricter requirements. The oversight architecture is divided by the scale of the players — the European Commission will take on monitoring of the largest technology companies, while control over smaller platforms will be transferred to national regulators. This approach mirrors the logic of the DSA, where "special obligations" are placed on the largest online services. ### Funding of Oversight and the Document's Status The funding of supervisory bodies, as envisaged by the European Commission, will be provided through special fees levied on the technology companies themselves, which should relieve the burden on state budgets and create a direct incentive for platforms to invest in safety. At present, the EU KIDS Act is at the preparation and alignment stage: it is a draft law that still has to go through the procedural stages in the EU institutions, so the final wording of the details — including the exact age thresholds and the list of mandatory control features — may be adjusted during negotiations. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Three tiers of access to social networks: the EU introduces strict rules for teenagers](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/15-rokiv-lishe-dozvolu-batkiv-es-vvede-novi-1789397121.html) - Подтверждает трёхуровневую модель и роль родительского контроля для несовершеннолетних. - [Politico learns of EU plans to restrict social media access for children under 15](https://www.rbc.ru/politics/14/09/2026/6aa807481dfe37f57813331b) - Ссылается на данные Politico о планах ЕС ограничить доступ детей до 15 лет; датировано 14.09.2026. - [EC prepares draft law on restricting social media for children under 15](https://expert.ru/news/ek-podgotovila-zakonoproekt-ob-ogranichenii-sotssetey-dlya-detey-do-15-let) - Подтверждает статус документа как подготовленного Еврокомиссией законопроекта. - [European Union to restrict children's access to social media](https://hi-tech.mail.ru/news/151211-evrosoyuz-ogranichit-detyam-dostup-v-socseti/) - Подтверждает общую направленность ограничений доступа детей к соцсетям в ЕС. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What is the EU KIDS Act? **A:** It is a legislative proposal being prepared by the European Commission that introduces a three-tier age-based access system for minors to social networks, video platforms, online games, and AI companions. ### Q: What rules apply to children under 13? **A:** Accounts are created only by parents or guardians with full control over activity, and access is open only to services with the highest safety standards. ### Q: Will the restrictions affect educational digital tools? **A:** No, educational digital tools remain outside the scope of the new restrictions. ### Q: Who will monitor compliance with the rules? **A:** The European Commission will monitor the largest technology companies, while national regulators will oversee smaller platforms; oversight funding will be provided through fees on the tech companies themselves.