As online safety, privacy, addictive design and the potential impact of digital platforms on young users have raised concerns, governments and policymakers are increasingly looking at tighter regulation of the use of social media, AI chatbots and online gaming by children.
A number of countries already have set age limits or proposed them for the use of social networks by children and teenagers. These include restrictions on screen time, account features, and parental control.
The proposed European regulations would allow access for kids of varying ages – their access would vary. Younger kids may be barred from social media, and teens allowed access to social media, but supervised. Older teens may also benefit from further safeguards on platforms and more restrictions on features that can be addictive.
The suggested options may not be limited to social media. Plans have also raised questions about the use of online games and AI chatbots, suggesting a possible ban in that area as well as others, due to the growing concerns around how children use digital services.
A focus in particular is on addictive platform design. New restrictions may be placed on offerings like infinite scroll, automatic recommendations and additional engagement tools when children use them.
Those platforms that do not meet new requirements may be subject to serious monetary penalties. The overall aim is to increase the safety of digital services for younger users and to provide more control for parents and guardians of younger users’ online experiences.
But age verification is a big challenge. Some digital rights and consumer groups have expressed concerns about the age-checking systems because they might ask users to submit sensitive personal data, thereby causing privacy and data-protection issues.
This debate goes beyond social media. Online games and AI chatbots are being looked into, as the time children spend with these platforms or the content that they see is inappropriate for their age.
If there are any significant changes to the regulations, further discussions, consultations and legislative approval will be needed before the changes can be enforced. The final rules, age limits and liable responsibilities for tech companies could evolve in the policy development process.
The general picture is that governments are increasingly taking steps to improve protections for children online, and technology providers are being increasingly challenged to design child-friendly services and to minimise the negative design elements and ensure children are able to have a safe online experience.
