Fine Gael MEP Regina Doherty has welcomed the European Commission’s proposed EU Kids Act.
The Dublin MEP has described the legislation, which makes it more difficult for people under 15 to access social media, as a “landmark shift.”
Doherty explained, “instead of relying solely on a blanket ban, it would restrict access according to age and require social media platforms, online games and AI chatbots to be safe by design.”
The proposed measures include:
- A minimum age of 15 for opening an independent social media account.
- Parent-controlled, restricted accounts for 13 and 14-year-olds.
- Child-friendly services for children aged between 3 and 12.
- A ban on addictive features such as infinite scrolling and excessive notifications.
- Private and safe account settings for children by default.
- Restrictions preventing strangers from contacting children directly.
- Mandatory age verification for new social media accounts.
- Screen-time limits and stronger parental controls.
- Specific protections for children using AI chatbots and AI companions.
- EU scrutiny before major platforms launch new services or features for children
Doherty said “the EU is finally taking serious action to protect children online. It has listened to parents and experts and developed a plan that can have a lasting impact on future generations.”
“Children are spending hours glued to their phones while parents are left fighting billion-euro technology companies and powerful algorithms alone. That has to end,” she said.
Doherty noted “a blanket ban alone was never going to work” and said that “children would find ways around it and parents would again carry all the responsibility.”
She said that the EU’s plan is a “smarter plan” that “protects children”.
“It places responsibility on the companies designing these platforms and profiting from their attention,” she said.
“Since being elected, I have pushed for tougher age checks, safety by design and an end to features deliberately created to keep children scrolling,” Doherty said.
“A child’s attention should not be a product for Big Tech to sell. Infinite scrolling, relentless notifications and algorithms pushing more extreme content are not accidents. They are deliberate design choices.”
“The age limit of 15 will grab the headlines, but safety by design is the real breakthrough. Platforms will have to prove they are safe for children. No more launching dangerous features first and apologising later,” she said.
MEP Doherty said the legislation must now be “strengthened” as it proceeds through the European Parliament.
“This proposal is a landmark first step, but it is not the finished product. The text will now come before the European Parliament, where MEPs will have the opportunity to examine it, amend it and make it stronger,” she explained.
“I will be pushing for rules that are ambitious, enforceable and impossible for the technology giants to dodge. Europe has an opportunity to set the global standard for protecting children online. We cannot waste it.”