EU SOCIAL MEDIA BAN: KIDS ACT EXPLAINED

The European Union (hereinafter: EU) is moving to introduce a bloc-wide EU social media ban for children under 13 and to impose tightly supervised access for teenagers aged 13 to 15, under a legislative package announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday, 17 September 2026. The proposal, referred to as the Kids Act, would prohibit platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok from granting accounts to users below the age threshold and would require what officials describe as 'mini accounts' — restricted, parental-supervised profiles — for those aged between 13 and 15.

The announcement coincides with a parallel legislative effort in France, where President Emmanuel Macron's government has submitted a reworked national proposal to ban social media for children under 15, after its first attempt was struck down by the Constitutional Council in mid-August 2026 (RFI). The two tracks, one at the EU level, one national, reflect a convergence of political pressure across European states to regulate minors' access to online platforms.

The Kids Act: Scope And Age Thresholds

Under the framework outlined by von der Leyen, the EU social media ban would operate in two tiers. Children below the age of 13 would face a full prohibition on holding accounts on social media platforms, video-sharing services and, according to a European Commission document seen by Reuters, artificial intelligence chatbots and online games (Daily Maverick). Teenagers aged 13 to 15 would not be barred outright but would be limited to supervised mini accounts, the precise parameters of which, including the degree of parental control and platform obligations, have not yet been published in full legislative text.

The proposal covers all 27 member states of the European Union, making it the most geographically sweeping regulatory intervention on children's digital access attempted by the bloc to date. Von der Leyen's office indicated that the formal legislative text would be presented on Thursday, 18 September 2026, with details still subject to revision ahead of that announcement (Yeni Şafak). The Commission has framed the measure as a response to documented harms that online platforms pose to minors, though the specific evidence base cited in the proposal has not been made publicly available in the sources reviewed.

Platform Obligations And Enforcement Questions

The Kids Act would place the burden of age verification and account restriction on platform operators rather than on individual users or parents. How platforms would be required to verify user ages, and what penalties would apply for non-compliance, remains to be specified in the forthcoming legislative text. The Irish Times noted that while the proposal represents a step forward in regulatory ambition, implementation will take considerable time, given the technical and legal complexity of age verification at scale (Irish Times). The regulation would need to pass through the European Parliament (hereinafter: EP) and the Council of the EU before entering into force, a process that typically spans months to years.

France's Revised National Ban

France's legislative effort predates the EU-level announcement and has followed a more turbulent path. The French government's original proposal to ban social media for children under 15 was struck down by the Constitutional Council in mid-August 2026, which found that part of the legislation constituted an unnecessary infringement on the freedom of expression of those affected (Euronews). The Council's ruling did not reject the principle of age-based restriction but identified specific provisions as disproportionate.

President Macron confirmed on 14 September 2026 that the government had submitted a reworked version of the proposal, reworked to address the constitutional objections. Macron has stated publicly that he wants the revised legislation passed before he leaves office in the spring, giving the parliamentary timetable a degree of political urgency (RFI). The French government is simultaneously seeking EU backing for its national approach, positioning the revised proposal as complementary to rather than in competition with the Kids Act.

Constitutional Constraints And Legislative Redesign

The Constitutional Council's August ruling introduced a significant constraint on how France can legislate in this area. The revised proposal has not been published in full, and it is not yet clear which specific provisions were amended to satisfy the Council's freedom-of-expression concerns. The French government has not disclosed whether the reworked text retains the under-15 threshold or adjusts it, nor whether it aligns precisely with the EU's proposed under-13 hard ban and under-15 supervised-account model. These details are expected to emerge as both the national and EU legislative processes advance.

Broader EU Regulatory Context

The Kids Act sits alongside existing EU digital legislation, notably the Digital Services Act (hereinafter: DSA), which already imposes obligations on very large online platforms regarding minors' safety, including prohibitions on targeted advertising based on profiling of users known to be under 18. The Kids Act would go further by establishing categorical access prohibitions rather than conduct-based obligations. Whether the two frameworks would operate in parallel or whether the Kids Act would supersede relevant DSA provisions for the under-15 cohort has not been clarified in the sources available. The proposal also arrives as Essydo has previously analysed the intersection of digital regulation and civil liberties in related contexts; see our analysis on social interaction overload for background on the broader debate around platform-driven behavioural effects.

What Comes Next

The immediate procedural step is the formal presentation of the Kids Act legislative text, expected on 18 September 2026. Once published, the proposal will enter the EU's ordinary legislative procedure, requiring agreement between the EP and the Council of the EU, a process in which member states may seek amendments to age thresholds, platform obligations or enforcement mechanisms. France's revised national proposal faces a separate parliamentary vote, with Macron's stated deadline of spring 2027 creating pressure on the National Assembly's schedule. Generally, this policy is a necessary and valuable development in the societal space. Just like we also assessed the social media ban for under-16-year-olds in Australia in a positive way, our analysis also points to positive effects of the EU's ban on social media for children. That way, brain and social skill development are subject to fewer detrimental effects. Contrary to the assessments of the French constitutional court, such a ban is not restricting freedom of speech, but enhancing it. As social media is misused by governments and interest groups to form public opinion through psychological warfare, banning social media constitutes an act of preserving the cognitive capabilities of citizens, especially for children.