Kids and social media: What would change under new EU law

The EU's rules for social media platforms would include a ban on addictive features and push notifications while children sleep. | AFP-JIJI

AFP-Jiji

Sep 18, 2026

Strasbourg, France – The European Union laid out plans Thursday for strict age limits for children to access social media, games and artificial intelligence assistants — and for forcing companies to make platforms safe before minors use them.

The rules for platforms would include a ban on addictive features, what is known as endless scrolling, and push notifications while children sleep, as the bloc steps up efforts to protect minors online.

The legal proposal comes a day after European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen announced the 27-country bloc’s intention to ban children under 13 from social media and permit only limited, supervised access until the age of 15.

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