"EU Proposes Tiered Social Media Age Restrictions for Children Under 15"
KIDS Act
Proposed EU law creating tiered social media age restrictions and safe design mandates for minors.
Very Large Online Platform (VLOP)
DSA category for platforms with over 45 million EU users, subject to enhanced obligations.
The regulation of children's access to digital platforms has emerged as a central governance challenge globally. The European Union has historically led standard-setting in digital governance. Its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, 2018) established data minimisation and consent requirements, including special protections for children's data, and set the age of digital consent at 13 to 16 years depending on member state choice. The Digital Services Act (DSA, 2022) built on this by creating tiered obligations for online platforms. Platforms classified as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), those with over 45 million EU users, must conduct systemic risk assessments, including risks to minors, and are prohibited from using profiling-based advertising targeting children. Fines under the DSA can reach 6% of global annual turnover. Despite these frameworks, critics argued that obligations remained too general to address specific harms such as addictive design features.
The global context shifted significantly when Australia enacted the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act, the world's first law banning children under 16 from social media, accelerating pressure on other jurisdictions to act. For India, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) 2023 mandates verifiable parental consent before processing data of children under 18. This convergence illustrates the Brussels Effect: the tendency for EU regulatory standards to diffuse globally through market pressure and policy emulation, as companies and governments align with the EU's higher bar rather than maintain separate compliance regimes.
The EU's proposed KIDS Act introduces a tiered, age-differentiated framework for children's access to social media. Children under 13 would face a complete ban. Those aged 13 to 14 would be permitted only mini accounts, set up and supervised by parents or guardians, with limited features and a one-hour daily time restriction. Between 15 and 17, platforms would be required to implement safe design as a legal obligation, meaning the burden shifts from users to platforms to prove their products are safe for this age group.
The proposal also targets addictive design features such as infinite scrolling, which are designed to maximise engagement and time-on-platform. Banning these features for minors represents a shift from content moderation, which focuses on what users see, toward structural design regulation, which governs how platforms are built. …
Consider the following statements regarding the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA, 2022):
1.Platforms with more than 45 million EU users are classified as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs).
2.VLOPs are prohibited from using profiling-based advertising targeting minors.
3.Fines under the DSA can reach up to 4% of a platform's global annual turnover.
4.The DSA requires VLOPs to conduct systemic risk assessments, including risks to minors.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Which of the following correctly matches a digital regulation with its key provision regarding children?
Consider the following statements about the EU's proposed KIDS Act:
1.Children under 13 would be completely banned from social media.
2.Children aged 13 to 14 would be permitted mini-accounts with a two-hour daily time restriction.
3.Platforms serving users aged 15 to 17 would be required to implement safe design as a legal obligation.
4.Platforms violating the rules face fines of up to 6% of annual turnover.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to the 'Brussels Effect' in digital governance, consider the following statements:
1.It refers to the tendency of EU regulatory standards to become de facto global standards through market pressure.
2.It operates primarily through formal international treaty obligations binding non-EU countries.
3.India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 is cited as an example of convergence with EU-style child-protective norms.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Which country enacted the world's first law banning children under 16 from social media, preceding the EU's proposed KIDS Act?
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