KIDS Act: Do Europeans support banning social media for children?

EU debate grows over tighter social media rules for children

Poinews.com – European policymakers are considering new limits on children’s use of social media as concerns intensify over harmful content, online predators, cyberbullying and compulsive scrolling. The proposed KIDS Act would prevent children under 13 from accessing social-media services and introduce stricter conditions for users aged 13 to 15.

The initiative is intended to address more than screen time. Supporters want platforms to reduce exposure to damaging material and unsafe contact with strangers, while also responding to risks to young people’s mental and physical wellbeing. Addictive product design and endless feeds are central targets of the proposal, which would place greater expectations on technology companies serving teenage users.

Strong public appetite for action

Public concern is widespread. In the Eurobarometer survey EU Challenges and Priorities, 91% of people across the EU said additional measures were needed to regulate children’s social-media use.

A ban for children below a specified age was the most popular individual option, backed by 36% of respondents. Greece recorded the highest support at 49%. Bulgaria, Romania, Portugal, Ireland and Slovakia followed, each with 44% support.

Support was more limited in several central European countries. Austria registered 27%, Germany 28%, and the Czech Republic 29%.

The figures illustrate a broad agreement that children need stronger online protections, even though Europeans differ on whether an age-based restriction should be the leading solution. The policy question is not simply whether young people should be online, but what safeguards must be in place when they are.

What the proposal could mean for teenagers

For children aged 13 to 15, the plan would not amount to unrestricted access. They would be unable to open a social-media account on their own. A parent would need to start and verify the registration process, after which the young person’s account would be overseen through a connected parental profile or an administrative dashboard.

That system could allow parents to set controls including daily use limits. The proposed cap is one hour per day. In practice, this places families at the centre of account approval and supervision, while platforms would still be expected to operate within a more tightly regulated environment.

The under-13 threshold is already familiar to many major services. Jeanne-Marie Quashie, EU advocacy officer at Terre des Hommes Netherlands, noted that the age itself does not create an entirely new restriction because platforms commonly already set 13 as their minimum age.

“We back 13 as the minimum age, but we don’t see it as a new ban.”

Quashie said the proposed threshold is consistent with standards set out in Article 8 of the General Data Protection Regulation. Her organisation’s concern is focused especially on the details of access and protection for 13- and 14-year-olds.

Safety should not rest only with parents

Child-rights groups have welcomed the broader direction of the KIDS Act but have also urged lawmakers to avoid treating parental permission as the main answer to platform safety. If access depends heavily on a parent setting up and managing an account, the practical burden may move from large technology companies to individual households.

“The EU KIDS Act is moving in the right direction by targeting platform design over blanket bans”, Quashie said. “But making access depend on a parent’s sign-up shifts the burden from tech companies onto families.”

Her argument is that protections should be part of the service itself, rather than options that families must discover, activate and constantly maintain. Teenagers can have very different levels of parental support, digital knowledge and supervision. A system based primarily on parental controls could therefore produce uneven protection.

“For 13- to 15-year-olds, safety must be built in, not switched on,” she added. “Children’s access to online spaces must be conditional on safety, not parental authorisation.”

The debate also includes a warning that overly restrictive rules could have unintended consequences. Some child-rights organisations fear teenagers denied access to mainstream platforms may seek out less visible, less moderated or more dangerous online communities. That concern strengthens the case for rules that make digital spaces safer instead of relying only on exclusion.

Risks that concern Europeans most

Cyberbullying is the issue causing the greatest anxiety among respondents, with 71% describing themselves as very or somewhat concerned. Online grooming followed closely at 70%, while 69% cited exposure to harmful content.

Concern about addictive design was lower, though still substantial: 60% expressed worry, and 28% said they were very concerned. This matters because the KIDS Act is expected to focus on features that can encourage prolonged use and doomscrolling.

National results show that the issue resonates far more strongly in some places. In Cyprus, 89% of respondents were worried about addictive design. Luxembourg was close behind at 87%.

As the proposal develops, lawmakers will need to balance age limits, parental involvement, child privacy and platform accountability. The central challenge will be creating online environments where younger users are protected from predictable harms without shifting responsibility away from the companies that design and operate the services.