The Kids Act is a European proposal published on September 17, 2026 to regulate minors’ access to social networks, video platforms, certain games, and conversational agents. The text would ban social accounts before age 13, require supervised accounts at ages 13 and 14, then allow an independent account starting at age 15. It is not yet applicable.
What is the Kids Act proposed by the European Union?
The Kids Act, or “EU Keeping Internet Digital Spaces Accountable and Trustworthy,” is a draft regulation presented by the European Commission on September 17, 2026. Referenced as COM(2026) 681 and 2026/0286(COD), the text must still be adopted by the European Parliament and the Council before becoming an applicable rule.
The distinction matters. In September 2026, no platform can present the proposed thresholds as a European obligation already in force. The final timeline, any amendments, and the date of application will depend on the ordinary legislative procedure.
The proposal seeks to harmonize national initiatives that have become difficult for platforms and advertisers to navigate. According to a Council of the European Union document dated September 17, 2026, restrictions concerning minors’ digital access were being prepared or negotiated in 17 member states at the time of the Commission’s communication.
The scope extends beyond Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, or YouTube. According to the European Commission in 2026, the Kids Act would also cover video sharing, online games deemed risky, artificial intelligence-powered companions, and general-purpose conversational chatbots. Educational, administrative, industrial, and office productivity AI services would be excluded.
At what age could a minor use a social network?
The Kids Act would create three levels of access in 2026: no social network account before age 13, a limited account monitored by a legal guardian at age 13 or 14, then an independent account starting at age 15. Supervised accounts would be limited to one hour of daily use.
| Age | Planned access | Main limits |
|---|---|---|
| Under 13 | No personal social account | Certain age-appropriate video services accessible through a legal guardian’s account, with no search or personalized feed, limited to one hour per day |
| 13 to 14 | Supervised account | Parental controls, approved contacts, and a daily one-hour cap |
| 15 and older | Autonomous account | Protections for minors and safe settings provided for by the regulation |
The table summarizes the thresholds published by the European Commission on September 17, 2026. The measure therefore does not amount to a blanket ban on all digital content before age 15. A child under 13 could watch a narrowly defined video service deemed suitable for children from a legal guardian’s account.
This nuance would significantly alter the distribution of youth content. Content watched without a search engine and without personalized recommendations no longer benefits from the same discovery loops. Family creators must follow this development as closely as platforms do, an issue already visible in the regulatory scrutiny of momfluencers and family creators.
In practice, the one-hour limit is not a minor interface detail. It mechanically reduces the time available to capture a teenager’s attention and may concentrate views on a few already well-known accounts. Honestly, posting more will not offset this constraint: clarity of the topic in the first few seconds will become even more decisive.
How would age verification work?
The age verification provided for by the Kids Act would replace the simple date of birth declared when creating an account. In 2026, the European Commission is proposing certified proof of age, notably through a European verification app, and then through the European Digital Identity Wallet when it becomes available.
Platforms would also have to review existing accounts in a proportionate way. Within six months following the start of the rules’ application, they would have to deactivate accounts belonging to users under 15, unless they are converted into supervised accounts meeting the required conditions.
The trap many brands underestimate is the possible break in audience data. If accounts are deactivated, converted, or stripped of personalization, long-standing followers, reach by age group, and declared interests may shift even if the creator’s content has not changed. A drop in impressions would therefore not automatically prove a drop in affinity.
Community managers should keep dated records of the demographic data available in Instagram Insights, TikTok Analytics, and YouTube Analytics. Equivalent periods must be compared, product changes isolated, and organic reach, paid views, and authenticated audience should not be merged in the same report.
Which platform features would be limited?
In 2026, the Kids Act would impose safer design for minors by targeting infinite scroll, autoplay, artificial notifications, engagement rewards, daily streaks, and recommendations based on profiling. Unsolicited contact and risky default settings would also be targeted.
These mechanisms are not incidental. On TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, sequential playback and personalized recommendation shape discovery far beyond the subscriber base. The analysis of TikTok’s influence on children helps explain why the algorithmic feed has become a regulatory issue in its own right.
A creator should not, however, confuse limited recommendations for minors with the general disappearance of the algorithm. The proposal targets specific features for users identified as minors. The real effects will depend on the settings chosen by each service, the quality of age verification, and the versions adopted by lawmakers.
Artificial intelligence companions would be subject to an additional constraint. According to the European Commission’s explanations published in 2026, chatbots accessible to minors could not simulate relationships likely to create emotional dependence. By default, they also should not carry over the content of previous conversations into subsequent sessions.
This separation of sessions would affect narrative experiences, personalized assistants, and certain virtual characters. In this niche, it is better to design a useful interaction in a single session rather than build all retention around an ongoing relationship with an artificial character.
What should creators and advertisers prepare?
Creators and advertisers should treat the Kids Act as a compliance and distribution risk, not as a ban that has already taken effect. Starting in 2026, they can audit the intended age group, attention-capture mechanisms, the advertising data used, and contracts involving minor creators or a youth audience.
A campaign for a family product is not necessarily intended for children. Conversely, quick editing, a teenage character, or a challenge can attract a minor audience despite adult media targeting. Editorial positioning, platform data, and product context must be read together.
Here are the actions to take without waiting for the final outcome of the proceedings:
- map campaigns where the minor audience is intentional or significant;
- request dated audience statistics broken down by platform, without requiring personal data about followers;
- include in contracts an adjustment clause if a format, targeting, or feature becomes unavailable;
- design videos that are understandable without relying on an ultra-personalized feed or a daily series;
- separate reach, recall, click, and sales metrics rather than judging a campaign on views alone;
- document approval from the legal guardian when a minor creator takes part in a campaign.
Brands active in the food sector should be particularly methodical. The links between social recommendations and adolescents’ eating behaviors on TikTok make creative content, claims, and targeting sensitive, even when a campaign formally complies with the platform’s advertising tools.
Services with at least 45 million monthly users in the European Union would be expected to submit compliance plans assessed by independent auditors, at their own expense. The European Commission would supervise the largest covered services, while national authorities would oversee the others through the Digital Services Act and AI Act frameworks.
The proposal published on EUR-Lex in 2026 also provides that the supervisory fee applicable to the largest covered providers would be capped at 0,03 % of their global annual net revenue for the previous financial year. Twelve months after the regulation begins to apply, the providers concerned would be required to activate parental accounts and comply with the requirements dedicated to artificial intelligence companions and chatbots.
For creators, the best strategy remains diversification. An audience that can be found again through search, a newsletter, or long-form video is more resilient than a community dependent on a single recommendation feed. The growth of TikTok as a search engine in 2026 already shows the value of working on explicit topics, precise captions, and content that responds to intent.
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FAQ on the Kids Act and social media
Is the Kids Act already in force in Europe?
The Kids Act is not in force as of September 21, 2026. Proposal COM(2026) 681 must be reviewed and approved by the European Parliament and the Council before it can become an applicable regulation.
Will Instagram and TikTok be banned for those under 15?
Instagram and TikTok would not be accessible with a standalone account before age 15 under the proposal published in 2026. Young people aged 13 and 14 could use a supervised account, while those under 13 would not be allowed to open a personal social media account.
Will parents be able to create a supervised account for their child?
A legal guardian could control a limited account for a 13- or 14-year-old child under the 2026 proposal. The account would notably include approved contacts, parental controls, and a daily usage limit of one hour.
Would YouTube be accessible to children under 13?
Some child-appropriate video services could remain accessible before age 13 through a legal guardian's account. The 2026 proposal would then require search and personalized feeds to be disabled, with a maximum duration of one hour per day.
Will creators still be able to produce content for teenagers?
The Kids Act does not prohibit the creation of content intended for teenagers. The proposal mainly regulates access to accounts, age verification, safety settings, and recommendation or retention features offered to minors.