President von der Leyen set out plans for the ‘EU Kids Act’ at the State of the Union address in Strasbourg last week, which would ban personal social media accounts for under-13s.
Under the draft law, children under-15s would be unable to set up accounts without parental consent and the act would mandate safety by design for 15-18 year olds.
MEP Nina Carberry says it’s “an important moment.” But, she points out, it took five years after the last major online safety overhaul proposed by the EU for the first fine to be issued against a social media platform.
Carberry says the EU already has the power to tackle addictive design, infinite scroll and autoplay under the Digital Services Act. “We need to enforce our existing rules better. We cannot wait another five years for answers.”
Th proposed ‘Kids Act’ is a “step in the right direction, but we need to see the detail. It needs a fast-tracked procedure in Parliament. And we need clear responsibilities, tight deadlines, and bigger fines.”
The proposed legislation will need to be agreed on by the European Parliament and all 27 member states.
