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EU Proposes KIDS Act Rules to Curb Minors' Access to AI Chatbots

September 17, 2026 at 06:37 EDT

Policy & Regulation
AI Agents

The European Commission adopted a proposal for the EU KIDS Act on September 17 that would force social platforms, video services, online games and AI chatbots to redesign minors' experiences before they can reach children. The measure puts AI companions and general chatbots in scope by targeting designs that simulate relationships likely to create emotional dependency, disabling child conversation memory carryover by default and requiring under-13 use to pass through parental controls.

Sep 17, 2026 · European Commission

Chatbots Face an Under-18 Redesign

The EU KIDS Act would gate minors' accounts, require safety-by-design, and make AI companions less relationship-like for children.

Why regulators are moving

Average daily screen time for adolescents rises from school days to weekends.

4.5hschool days

6.1hweekends

Stacked blocks show roughly 30-minute increments.

13No social accounts below this age

15Age for autonomous accounts

6%Maximum turnover fine

90Day target for final decisions

Age ladder

Under 13No social media accounts; chatbot use only through parental tools.

→

13-14Guardian mini accounts with contacts, controls and time limits.

→

15-17Autonomous accounts, but still within safe-by-design services.

What changes for AI companions

No relationship simulation likely to create emotional dependency.
No child conversation carryover by default.
No automatic activation or forced placement inside platforms or games.
Risk testing before launch and harm monitoring afterward.

Support case

Safer defaults could limit manipulative design, harmful recommendations and dependency-forming chatbot behavior.

Open concern

Age checks and parental oversight must work without exposing identity, chilling privacy or leaving engagement models intact.

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