{"id":8247,"date":"2026-10-01T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viva.racunalniske-novice.com\/eu-kids-act-zeli-na-novo-urediti-splet-za-otroke\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T13:00:00","slug":"eu-kids-act-zeli-na-novo-urediti-splet-za-otroke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/viva.racunalniske-novice.com\/en\/eu-kids-act-wants-to-redesign-the-internet-for-children\/","title":{"rendered":"EU KIDS Act seeks to re-regulate the internet for children"},"content":{"rendered":"

The proposed age limit for social media has attracted the most attention, but the scope of the legislation is much broader. The proposal directly affects recommendation algorithms, endless scrolling, notifications, contact with strangers, camera and location use, online purchases, chatbots, and age verification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KIDS stands for Keeping Internet Digital Spaces Accountable and Trustworthy. The European Commission presents it as the next phase of European regulation of the digital space, following the Digital Services Act and the Artificial Intelligence Act. It is important to note that the EU KIDS Act is not yet a law. It is a proposal for a regulation COM(2026) 681, which must be considered by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. The procedure is currently only in the preparatory phase, and the European Parliament has not yet designated a competent committee or rapporteur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From recommendations to rules that could be punished<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The EU is not starting from scratch when it comes to protecting children online. The Digital Services Act already requires platforms accessible to minors to ensure a high level of privacy, safety and security. Targeted advertising to minors is also prohibited when it is based on profiling. In July 2025, the Commission published additional guidelines for the protection of minors, addressing addictive design, online violence, harmful content, unwanted contacts and age verification. These guidelines were an important step, but remain non-binding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The European Parliament therefore called for a much stricter approach in November 2025. MEPs supported a common European age limit of 16 for independent access to social networks, video platforms and AI-powered companions, with access possible between the ages of 13 and 16 with parental consent. Parliament also called for action against endless scrolling, auto-play, recommendation algorithms, gambling-like mechanisms and other forms of design aimed at increasing user engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a dedicated expert group on children's online safety last year. The group, which included experts in health, psychology, neuroscience, computer science, children's rights and digital literacy, as well as representatives of young people, presented its final report in July. The Commission drew up the KIDS Act in September, based on this work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is necessary to distinguish between different European proposals: as mentioned, in November 2025 the European Parliament supported a limit of 16 years for independent access, while the Commission, in the presented KIDS Act proposal, proposes an independent account from the age of 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under 13 years old no account, 13 and 14 years old limited account<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The most understandable part of the proposal is therefore the age scale. Children under 13 should not have their own account on social networks and video platforms. For certain video services specifically designed for younger children, a parent could enable limited use through their account. In such a case, search and personalized content flow would be disabled, and use would be limited in time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A limited account would be possible for 13 and 14-year-olds, set up and supervised by a parent or guardian. Parental supervision would be mandatory, daily use would be limited to a maximum of one hour, and parents would have the ability to monitor new contacts and certain settings. A standalone account without such supervision would be allowed from the age of 15, according to the proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposal does not prohibit all content online for children under 15, nor does the age scale apply equally to every website. It mainly concerns social networks and video platforms with certain risky features, such as profiled content recommendations, open contacts between users, continuous display of content or other features that enable long-term use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Most of the changes would be hidden in the application functionality itself.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The age limit is the most politically visible part of the proposal, but users would likely notice more changes in their daily use of apps. The KIDS Act introduces the principle of safety by design. For minors, services should be set to a higher level of privacy and security by default.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Geolocation and other tracking features would be turned off by default. The same would apply to microphone and camera access, contact synchronization, new account recommendations, and certain types of push notifications. Notifications should not interfere with basic sleep and schoolwork. Minors' profiles would be more closed, and strangers would not be able to easily start a direct conversation with a child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposal also affects recommendation systems. A minor should be able to influence recommendations, reset the recommendation profile and use at least one version of the system without profiling. The Commission also wants to limit features that encourage continuous use, including infinite scrolling, various rewards for returning to the application and similar mechanisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Special rules would apply to contacts. The child should not appear in recommendations to other users as a possible new contact. Adding to groups would require consent, and blocking another user would have to be simple and anonymous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Chatbots and AI companions are also under scrutiny for the first time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Commission has expanded the scope far beyond traditional social networks. The categories covered include online social services, video platforms, app stores, online games, operating systems, AI companions and general conversational chatbots. Certain non-profit encyclopedias, scientific repositories, school education services and open source development platforms are excluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case of chatbots, the Commission wants to specifically limit the design that could create emotional dependence in a child. The system should not simulate interpersonal relationships in a way that increases such risks. In the case of minors, the chatbot should also not automatically carry over the content of previous conversations into subsequent interactions. Risk testing for children would be required before introduction, and monitoring of any harmful effects would be required after introduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a chatbot is built into a social network or game, it should not be automatically enabled or actively promoted to a child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Games and app stores are getting their own rules<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Online games are another sensitive area because they combine user communication, shopping, rewards, and long-term use. The KIDS Act requires developers to take steps to prevent excessive or compulsive use, provide safer default settings, and protect against unwanted contact. For children under 13, access to some features would be tied to parental tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

App stores will also have to change their behavior. Every app should be age-rated according to a publicly described methodology. The store should not allow a child to access or purchase an app if it is marked as inappropriate for their age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How will age verification be done?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If the EU wants to enforce age limits, a date of birth field alone is not enough. The Commission therefore envisages the use of a European system for proof of age. Its technical core was presented in July 2025, and since April this year the solution has been ready for adaptation in the Member States. It is also linked to European digital identity wallets, which Member States must offer by the end of this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commission stresses that, for example, the social network would not receive the user's identity document, name or exact age. The system would only provide the platform with proof of whether the user meets or does not meet a certain age threshold. The proposal requires the use of technologies that provide proof without disclosing additional information, so-called zero knowledge proof mechanisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Critics warn against internet that would require proof of age<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) warns that widespread age verification could create an infrastructure where users must prove something about themselves before accessing more and more online services. They say such a system could infringe on anonymity, privacy, and the right to access information, even if the technical mechanism is designed to protect personal data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EFF also draws attention to the situation of children who use the internet to access information, support or community that may not be available to them in their immediate environment. In their opinion, age as a universal criterion poorly reflects different levels of maturity. They particularly highlight the possibility of greater barriers for marginalised groups and users who do not have traditional identification documents. The Commission, on the other hand, envisages that each country must provide at least one free option for proving age even for users without a digital identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second issue is costs. The proposal does not include a general exemption for small and micro enterprises. The Commission justifies this by saying that a minor may be exposed to harm regardless of the size of the provider, but legal experts warn that the same technical and organisational requirements can be much more burdensome for smaller developers, studios and European start-ups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fines can reach 6 % of revenue<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Supervision would not require the establishment of a completely new European regulator. The existing structure of the Digital Services Act would apply to online platforms, and the structure of the Artificial Intelligence Act would apply to AI systems. The European Commission would directly supervise the largest platforms, while national competent authorities would supervise other providers covered by the regulation. For very large online platforms, the provider would submit a compliance plan and an independent auditor would verify compliance. The audit costs would be borne by the company. The maximum fine envisaged is six percent of the total global annual turnover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slovenia wants common European rules, but an additional debate is opening up on age<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Slovenia has responded strongly to the proposal for a single European regulation. The Ministry of the Interior and Public Administration is leading an interdepartmental working group that is already preparing a draft of the Slovenian law on the protection of children in digital environments. The group includes experts from the fields of digital transformation, health, education, family, culture, media and other competent authorities. The group has already considered age restrictions and has identified 15 years as an appropriate solution for independent access to social networks, which is in line with the basic threshold in the Commission's proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, opinions differ for the younger group. The Ministry of Education, Science and Youth believes that the first age limit for using social networks should be set at 15 years old, not 13. This would be a stricter approach than the Commission proposal, which allows limited accounts under parental supervision between the ages of 13 and 15. At the same time, the ministry emphasizes that age restrictions alone cannot solve all problems and that they must be linked to digital and media literacy and education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hardest part will begin after the age limit is agreed upon.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The next step is the positions of the European Parliament and the Council. Disputes are expected on age limits, the scope of services covered, exemptions for small providers and whether age verification measures will be sustainable from a privacy perspective.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Najve\u010d pozornosti je pritegnila predlagana starostna meja za dru\u017ebena omre\u017eja, vendar je obseg zakonodaje precej \u0161ir\u0161i. Predlog posega neposredno v priporo\u010dilne algoritme, neskon\u010dno drsenje po vsebinah, obvestila, stik z neznanci, uporabo kamere in lokacije, spletne nakupe, klepetalne robote ter preverjanje starosti. KIDS pomeni Keeping Internet Digital Spaces Accountable and Trustworthy. Evropska komisija ga predstavlja kot […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,84,4,12,76,8],"tags":[1099,478,482,254,1087],"class_list":["post-8247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-facebook","category-instagram","category-racunalnistvo-telefonija","category-triki-nasveti","category-varnost","category-zivljenjski-slog","tag-google-podatki","tag-informacijska-varnost","tag-kibernetska-varnost","tag-varnost-na-spletu","tag-zasebnost"],"acf":{"subtitle":"Evropska komisija je 17. septembra predstavila predlog uredbe EU KIDS Act, s katerim \u017eeli bistveno spremeniti na\u010din, kako dru\u017ebena omre\u017eja, videoplatforme, spletne igre, trgovine z aplikacijami in sistemi umetne inteligence obravnavajo mladoletne uporabnike. ","heading":"","summary":"Evropska komisija je 17. septembra predstavila predlog uredbe EU KIDS Act, s katerim \u017eeli bistveno spremeniti na\u010din, kako dru\u017ebena omre\u017eja, videoplatforme, spletne igre, trgovine z aplikacijami in sistemi umetne inteligence obravnavajo mladoletne uporabnike. 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