Public consultation on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the conditions for reliable and responsible online digital environments for minors (“EU KIDS ACT”)

Date of publication: 20/10/2026

Deadline: from October 21, 2026 to November 4, 2026 at 23:59

Context

Only half of 9-16 year-olds across Europe say they feel safe online. The risks faced by children online are real, urgent and affect their health, development and well-being, leading to, for example, reduced physical activity, increased risk of myopia, fewer sleep hours, depressive and anxious symptoms, reduced self-esteem, negative effects on learning and cognitive development, eating disorders, decreased empathy, loneliness and addictive behaviors. In the online environment, minors also face risks of cyberbullying, sexual abuse and child recruitment.

The proposal for a regulation known as the “EU KIDS Act”, adopted by the European Commission on 17 September 2026, responds to the mandate announced by President von der Leyen in her state of the Union speech of 2025, which entrusted an Ad Hoc Panel of Experts on Online Child Safety with the preparation of recommendations, presented by its co-chairs in July 2026 and structured around six principles: evolutionary approach according to age, equality and diversity, responsibility for digital services and consumer rights, empowerment and media education, and rights and participation of children.

The proposal also responds to the Jutland Declaration, signed in October 2025 by twenty-five Member States, which called for age verification and a safer online environment for minors.

The European Council, in its Conclusions of March 2026 and October 2025, also stressed the importance of protecting minors online, in particular through a digital age of majority.

The European Parliament, in its November 2025 report on the protection of minors online, called for a harmonised European digital age limit of 16 years for access to social media, video sharing platforms and AI partners, unless their parents or guardians authorise it. He also called for a harmonised European digital age limit of 13 years, according to which no child under that age can access social media platforms. The European Parliament also recognised the need for additional legislation on design adapted to the age of minors and on safety from the design stage. In addition, he called for a European approach to age assurance that would ensure legal certainty.

Across the European Union, Member States are discussing or proposing national legislation to improve the safety of children online. Italy, France, Norway, Greece, Austria, Poland and Belgium notified in 2025 and 2026 of their draft legislation limiting access to certain digital services for children under a certain age. In almost all other Member States, there are ongoing consultations or projects that are already being discussed in national parliaments or have been announced by governments.

In short, the Commission’s proposal responds to the following:

• The current online environment has not been designed with minors in mind, who face significant risks. While there is already legislation in place to create a safer online environment, no single rule takes children or their safety and training as a starting point.
• The proposed national legislative projects to protect minors in the digital environment differ in scope, age limits and types of restrictions imposed, with the risk of fragmenting the single market, reducing legal certainty and increasing compliance costs, while providing an unequal level of protection for minors across the European Union.