European Commission's proposed EU Kids Act could see online games forced to enact stricter age verification amid new rules around accounts for under 15s

"The Union's approach should allow ​minors to benefit from the huge potential of digital services, while protecting them from abuse and exploitation"

The European Commission are reportedly set to propose new rules around how under 15s access the likes of social media, AI chatbots, and online video games. Dubbed the EU Kids Act, the proposed legislation in its current form demands the setting up of a tiered system governing the types of accounts children under 15 can create to access such services. As with the UK's Online Safety Act, that'd result in the rolling out of age verification hoops everyone has to jump through to access these allegedly risky platforms.

According to reports from Politico and Reuters, who've seen documents outlining the Commission's proposed act, in its current form it would apply to online games in addition to social media, video sharing platforms, and AI chatbots. The middle two appear to be the original main focuses, with Euro News reporting that The Netherlands and Spain have recently pushed for the proposed legislation to apply to online games and AI bots too.

If the act came into force as outlined in the docs, it'd introduce new rules dictating the sorts of accounts children under 15 can hold with affected services. Kids under 13 would only be allowed accounts for services deemed to meet strict safety standards, with these accounts being totally controlled by their parents/guardians. Those between 13 and 15 would have to ask a parent to open an introductory account that comes with parental controls as well as limits on why they can talk to and their screen time. Only over 15s would be able to set up their own accounts. Oh, and kids under 3 would be allowed no access whatsoever, in a huge blow for toddler rights.

The bottom line? Age verification that'll most likely end up putting the onus on adults to prove they're of age via established means such as owning a credit card, official identity documentation, or video-based facial age estimation. The rollout of such initiatives continues to face pushback rooted in concerns about data protection and anonymity.

"The Union's approach should allow minors to benefit from the huge potential of digital services, while protecting them from abuse and exploitation," the Commission reportedly wrote in their proposal doc. "It needs to limit the access of tech companies to our children, and not the other way around." The body are proposing that enforcement of the new rules would be paid for via supervisory fees levied at companies.

As of right now, it's important to bear in mind the EU Kids Act is still just a proposal, so will be subject to scrutiny and potential changes as it's debated by European governments and the European Parliament before it either is or isn't set in stone as law. For example, there reportedly doesn't seem to be a strong definition of what is or isn't viewed as a 'high-risk' service for kids to be using at the moment, so that'd likely require some debating to thrash out.