EU drafts law to ban under‑15s from independent social media accounts

Back in June 2026, a draft legal document seen by AFP showed the European Union preparing to introduce the 'EU KIDS Act', which would bar children under 15 from opening their own social media, video‑sharing, chatbot or online‑game accounts. Under the proposal, 13‑ and 14‑year‑olds would need parental approval for introductory accounts with limited features, while children aged three to thirteen could only use fully parent‑controlled, child‑friendly services; those under three would have no access at all. The law would also force platforms to remove addictive design elements such as infinite scrolling, automatic notifications and certain reward features, and would require recommender systems to be tuned to limit harmful content. Enforcement would be funded by a supervisory fee on the digital giants, building on the existing Digital Services Act which already allows fines of up to six percent of global turnover. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen was set to outline the plan in her Wednesday address to the European Parliament, with tech chief Henna Virkkunen presenting the formal proposal the following day. Although the text remains subject to change before its Thursday publication, the move follows pressure from France, Greece and others after Australia’s ban on under‑16s. For Nigerian families, the draft highlights growing global concern over children’s online safety and suggests that similar conversations could arise locally; parents may want to review current app settings, use available parental controls, and stay alert to any national discussions on protecting minors from harmful digital features.

SOURCE: https://www.channelstv.com/2026/09/15/eu-to-propose-curbing-social-media-online-games-for-under-15s/