EU's Von der Leyen Unveils New Proposed Rules to Ban Social Media for Under-13s

05:57 AM EDT, 09/16/2026 (MT Newswires) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday announced a proposal to ban social media access for children under the age of 13 in the European Union, while shifting the burden to companies to prove their products are safe. In her annual State of the Union address, Von der Leyen said the Commission will propose the EU Kids Act on Thursday, introducing parent-managed "mini accounts" with feature and time limits for 13- to 14-year-olds and legally requiring platforms to enforce a "safe design" for those between 15 and 18. "Platforms will have to prove that they are safe. Because it is not about our minors accessing social media. It is about when and how do we allow social media to access minors," Von der Leyen said. "Europe has the power to act. It is we who decide our rules, not big tech." The proposed legislation targets key concerns including addictive algorithms, radicalization, and artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes. It lands ahead of a broader Digital Fairness Act planned to be proposed in the autumn to also safeguard adults from addictive design, Von der Leyen noted.