EU plans to release draft bill restricting use of digital services for children under 15

EU Children's Bill to be unveiled soon

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Seol Won-tae = The European Commission plans to unveil a bill that would discriminately restrict the use of social media, video sharing platforms, online game platforms, and AI chatbots by children under the age of 15 based on age, Reuters reported on the 14th (local time), saying it obtained an EU Commission document.

Reuters reported that this proposal is part of the 'EU Kids Act' that will be announced on the 17th by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Commissioner for Technology and Sovereignty Henna Birkkunen.

"The EU's approach must enable minors to enjoy the enormous potential of digital services while protecting them from abuse and exploitation. Technology companies must limit their access to children, not the other way around," the European Commission document states.

The draft law allows access to various services on a phased basis depending on age, and the obligations imposed on businesses will vary depending on the type of service and the child's age.

According to the document, children aged 13 to 14 can ask their parents to open an introductory account for social media and video-sharing platforms. These accounts are operated under parental control and are subject to strict restrictions on who can be contacted and when they can be used.

Accounts for children ages 3 to 12 are fully managed by their parents, and they can only use child-friendly services that adhere to strict safety standards. Children under 3 years of age cannot access the Service.

The draft will undergo consultation with member states and the European Parliament over the coming months.

The draft set out requirements for companies to prevent addictive designs and provision of harmful feeds, provide tools to make it easy for children to report harmful content, and provide effective parental control tools.

Social media and video-sharing platforms also require users to verify age when they open a new account, and online gaming platforms require children to verify their age before downloading.

This draft is the most comprehensive measure the EU has taken to date to protect children online.

This comes as concerns are spreading globally about the impact of major services such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and ChatGPT on the health and safety of children.