EU set to propose social media, AI ban for under-15s

The European Union will propose a ban restricting ⁠under 15s from social media, video sharing platforms, AI chatbots and online games, in the most sweeping plan yet to protect children from online dangers, a European Commission document has shown.

Concerns have mounted globally about the impact on children's health and safety of major outlets, including Meta's Facebook and Instagram, TikTok, Google's YouTube and ChatGPT.

The EU proposal is part of an 'EU Kids Act' that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen will present on Thursday.

The former may announce some details in her State of the Union address on upcoming EU policy on Wednesday.

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

"It needs to limit the access of tech companies to our children, and not the other way around," it added.

The Commission's proposal, which will also cover video gaming platforms, allows for gradual access to the various services according to age, while the obligations imposed on the companies will depend on the type of service and the age ‌ of the children.

The Commission declined to comment.

Companies would have to pay a supervisory fee

According to the document, companies will have to pay a supervisory fee to fund regulators' enforcement ⁠and supervision.

Children from 15 onwards can set up their own accounts under the proposal, while children between 13 and ‌14 can ask parents to open introductory accounts for social media and video-sharing platforms under parental ⁠control and with ‌limited contacts and strict time limits.

Accounts for children between three and 12 will be fully controlled by parents and will only be for child-friendly services with strict safety standards, the document said.

Under three-years-old would have no access to the services.

Details may still change ahead of the announcement.

The Commission ⁠will need to work out the draft with EU countries and the European Parliament in the coming months before it can ⁠become law.

The draft sets out requirements for companies, including avoiding addictive designs and harmful feeds.

They would also have to provide tools to enable children to easily report harmful content and effective parental control tools.

Social media and video-sharing platforms will be required to verify children's age when a user opens a new account while online games platforms will have to verify children's age before they can download games.

The companies said they take precautions and many set a minimum ‌age of at least 13-years-old to sign up to social media platforms.

Earlier, the French government submitted a reworked proposal to ban social media for children, after its previous ban was struck down by the country's top constitutional authority, President Emmanuel Macron said.

France's Constitutional Council struck down the previous legislation in mid-August, finding that part of it constituted an unnecessary infringement on the freedom of expression of those affected.

"After rigorous technical work the government today is notifying" the European Commission of the new draft, Mr Macron wrote on social media.

The notification is a key step, as it ensures that the legislation is in line with European Union laws.

Mr Macron has made banning social media use for children and teens one of his top priorities and hopes to see a working ban in force by the time he leaves office next year.