European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday (September 17) unveiled sweeping plans to protect children online, proposing to ban social media for anyone under-13s and require supervised accounts for those aged 13-15. The proposed EU Kids Act would also limit children's daily social media use to one hour maximum.

"No social media under the age of 13. No personal account under the age of 15," von der Leyen told a press conference in Strasbourg.

The proposal shifts responsibility to platforms to prove their services are safe before launch, rather than authorities having to prove harm after damage occurs.

The legislation would cover social media platforms, video sharing services, AI companions, chatbots and online video games for children under 18. These services would face strict requirements including bans on addictive features and algorithms designed to manipulate young users.

The proposal follows similar initiatives in Australia, Britain and other countries amid growing concerns about the impact of platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube on children's mental health and safety.

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EU Commission proposes social media ban for children under 13

VIDEO SHOWS: PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION URSULA VON DER LEYEN AND EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION HENNA VIRKUNNEN UNVEILING NEW KIDS ACT TO REGULATE SOCIAL MEDIA

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: SEE EDIT 2038-EU-SOCIALMEDIA/ARCHIVE FOR ARCHIVE OF TEENS USING SOCIAL MEDIA

RESENDING COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: STRASBOURG, FRANCE (SEPTEMBER 17, 2026) (EUROPEAN UNION - Access all)

1. EUROPEAN COMMISSION SPOKESPERSON PAULA PINHO WELCOMING THE AUDIENCE

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT, URSULA VON DER LEYEN, SAYING:

“No social media under the age of 13. No personal account under the age of 15. That means from 13 until a child turns 15, only mini accounts that are set up and supervised by parents or guardians with limited features and time restriction to one hour a day maximum.”

3. PINHO ADDRESSING THE AUDIENCE

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT, URSULA VON DER LEYEN, SAYING:

“For years, platforms have denied the harm they created. They have tried to avoid prescriptive rules and set rules at their own pace. We're changing that with the Kids Act. So, instead of authorities proving harm after the fact, the biggest platforms must submit detailed child safety plans in advance. And, that means, again, that safety will come first. This puts the parents in the driving seat and the burden of proving safety on the platforms where it belongs.”

5. VARIOUS OF EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION HENNA VIRKKUNEN TALKING TO THE MEDIA

6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT, URSULA VON DER LEYEN, SAYING:

“Our AI act prohibits AI systems that manipulate people or exploit the vulnerabilities of children. And those prohibitions, they are fully enforced, and we will enforce them strongly.”

7. JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTIONS TO VON DER LEYEN AND VIRKKUNEN

8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, HENNA VIRKKUNEN, SAYING:

“Social media platforms, video sharing platforms, AI companions and AI chat bots and also online video games all must meet safety obligations.”

9. JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTIONS TO VON DER LEYEN AND VIRKKUNEN

10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT, URSULA VON DER LEYEN, SAYING:

“A few years ago, I didn't know what I know today about the harm of social media. And, it helped me extremely to form my opinion and to understand, also with the growing body of evidence from the medical sector, what is going on in the brain and what is going on in the development of a personality. And, this is knowledge we have to spread all over Europe - better, even all over the world - because it's so important to have this discussion to understand what's going on and to understand the risks for our children and teenagers.”

12. VARIOUS OF VON DER LEYEN, VIRKKUNEN AND PINHO EXITING THE ROOM