EU KIDS Act Won't Keep the Internet Accountable and Trustworthy
4 hours ago
- The EU Kids Act proposes age gates, intrusive age verification, and privacy erosion for all internet users.
- It introduces phased social media access: under 13 no accounts, 13-15 tightly supervised, 15-18 autonomous with safety-by-design.
- Age gates undermine civil liberties, reduce safety, and create barriers, especially for marginalized groups.
- The law requires parental involvement in account setup, adding verification layers and control over teens.
- The gradual approach is less restrictive than a total ban, which France’s court deemed unconstitutional.
- The broad scope covers mainstream services, ignoring proportionality and maturity nuances.
- Exemptions exist for encyclopedias, scientific repositories, and open-source platforms, but not for SMEs.
- Safety-by-design mandates apply to social media, games, AI companions, and app stores, with default child-safe settings.
- Addictive feature controls, account settings, and recommender choices aim to protect youth but raise rights concerns.
- The law’s details could be ill-suited for decentralized Fediverse and may restrict content access.
- The Act was proposed without a full impact assessment, skipping alternative policy checks and consultations.
- The Commission's approach blends digital fairness with fundamental rights issues, potentially politicizing good intentions.
- We urge EU lawmakers to weaken harmful measures and protect fundamental rights of all users.