How the EU Plans to Regulate Social Media and AI Access for Children Under 15

Gist The European Commission is drafting a proposal under the EU Kids Act to impose strict, tiered age restrictions on children accessing digital platforms, fundamentally altering how under-15s interact with the internet. This development shifts the regulatory burden from parents to tech companies, forcing platforms to dismantle addictive algorithmic designs and enforce stringent age verification. For civil services aspirants, this represents a crucial case study in digital governance GS Paper II/III , highlighting how state intervention is evolving to tackle the psychological harms of the unregulated digital ecosystem. Background Currently, the global standard for digital platforms relies largely on self-regulation, with most major social media applications enforcing a nominal minimum sign-up age of 13 years . This self-regulatory approach has faced heavy scrutiny globally, as easily bypassed "age gates" fail to protect children from addictive design and algorithmically served harmful content. To transition from voluntary safeguards to a statutory framework, the European Commission is formulating the EU Kids Act . The proposal aims to replace the "one-size-fits-all" digital experience with a graduated system of digital autonomy, making digital safety a…