EU Announces New Online Child Safety Proposal: EU KIDS ACT

In this piece for Norton Rose Fulbright’s Connections blog, authors Joanna Conway & Stuart Neely look at the EU KIDS ACT, a proposed framework announced in the EU President’s 16 September 2026 State of the Union speech. The proposal would establish an EU-wide baseline for protecting children online, covering social media, video-sharing platforms (VSPs), online games, AI conversational services and app stores. It would build on the Digital Services Act and AI Act while bringing additional services within scope.

The proposal takes a differentiated approach based on service type, risk factors and the child’s age. Social media and VSPs with specified risk features would prohibit accounts for users under 13, require guardian-set accounts and safety controls for 13- to 15-year-olds, and allow autonomous accounts for 15- to 18-year-olds subject to safety-by-design requirements. Covered services would also need to provide privacy and security protections, child-friendly reporting, guardian tools and greater user agency.

Specific requirements include restrictions on addictive design features such as infinite scrolling, controls over recommender systems, safe default settings, protections against unwanted contact and greater transparency around online transactions. AI companions and conversational chatbots would face additional safeguards addressing emotional dependency and risks to minors’ health, safety and well-being, while online games would need to avoid encouraging excessive use. App stores would also have to implement age-rating systems and prevent minors from accessing age-inappropriate apps.

The authors note that the proposal could provide a unified EU approach as Member States pursue different national measures, potentially reducing regulatory fragmentation. However, its prescriptive requirements and child-safe default user experience could require significant product changes and raise questions concerning fundamental rights, particularly when compared with approaches being considered in the UK, Australia and the United States. The authors expect further legal disputes as the proposal develops and note that the EU’s forthcoming Digital Fairness Act is expected to address broader concerns, including addictive design affecting users generally…

CONTINUE READING…