The EU is preparing restrictions on minors’ access to chatbots

The European Commission is preparing restrictions under the EU Kids Act covering, among other things, access to chatbots for children under 15. Reuters describes these measures in a report published on 14 September 2026, based on preparatory documents. The draft provides for age-based tiers of access, with different obligations depending on the service.

The Commission has scheduled a discussion among commissioners for 15 September, followed by adoption of the proposal by written procedure later in the week. Ursula von der Leyen and Henna Virkkunen are due to present the draft on Thursday 17 September at the Berlaymont. The provisions may change before this presentation, and subsequently during consideration by the Member States and the European Parliament. They do not apply at this stage.

Limited contacts and time restrictions

The starter accounts envisaged for 13-14-year-olds would apply to social media and video platforms. They would establish a supervised tier of access to these services. For chatbots, access for children under 15 is covered by separate restrictions in the preparatory documents.

Reuters describes parental controls that include limits on contacts and time restrictions. Parents could thus control whom the child communicates with and the hours during which they use the service. These settings would govern use of the account once it has been opened, with responsibilities also envisaged for providers.

Euractiv reports that chatbots would be subject to age verification. In a tiered access system, this check would determine whether the user meets the age requirement set for the service, and then apply the corresponding level of access. The tier envisaged for 13-14-year-olds on social media and video platforms therefore does not constitute equivalent permission to access chatbots. The technical details of verification have yet to be specified.

Educational services would be excluded

Euractiv describes exclusions for educational services within the proposed scope covering chatbots and AI companions. For teachers, the product’s classification could therefore determine the conditions under which students can access it. A service covered by the educational exception would be exempt from the restrictions envisaged for chatbots included in the draft.

Services provided by public authorities, industrial AI and office software products incorporating AI would also be excluded, according to the documents described by Euractiv. The proposed scope thus distinguishes between categories of services, rather than subjecting all products using AI to the same restrictions.