Spain opens consultation on the EU Kids Act and its under-15 account ban

Spain opens consultation on the EU Kids Act and its under-15 account ban

20 October 2026: Spain's Ministry for Digital Transformation has opened a public consultation on the EU Kids Act, the proposed EU regulation that would stop children under 15 from creating their own accounts on social networks and video-sharing platforms. Businesses and organisations can send comments from 21 October until 23:59 on 4 November 2026.

Not yet independently verified. We read the Spanish ministry's summary of the proposal, not the Commission's text; the proposal's application date and penalties are not given in the note. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

What the proposal would require

The regulation's full name is "EU Keeping Internet Digital Spaces Accountable and Trustworthy". According to the ministry, it prohibits standalone accounts for under-15s on online social networks and video-sharing platforms, combined with rules that let parents and legal guardians create accounts with limited features for children aged 13 to 15.

It also sets safety-by-design requirements for a wider group of services: social networks, video-sharing platforms, online games, AI companions, general-purpose chatbots and app stores. These include limits on addictive design, changes to recommender systems, the most protective privacy settings by default, and transparency about economic transactions such as in-game purchases. Enforcement would use the supervision structures already in place under the Digital Services Act and the AI Act, plus an accelerated compliance procedure.

How to respond

The consultation asks those potentially affected about the problems the regulation addresses, whether it is needed and when, its objectives, and regulatory and non-regulatory alternatives. Comments go by email to consultapublica.normasdgosdca@digital.gob.es, with the subject "Consulta pública Reglamento EU KIDS. – Aportaciones" followed by the name of the person or organisation. Spain is gathering views to shape its position as member states negotiate the proposal in the Council.

Who should take part

The obvious respondents are platforms, game studios and app developers with young users in Spain, but the scope reaches further: any company offering a general-purpose chatbot or an AI companion would be covered, as would app stores. Age assurance, parental account linking and changes to recommendation feeds are engineering work that takes months, so product and compliance teams have a reason to read the proposal now, while its scope can still be argued, rather than after it is adopted. Marketers who rely on social media to reach teenagers should also watch how the 13 to 15 account rules settle.

Sources

• Ministry for Digital Transformation (Spain): Abierta la consulta pública sobre el EU Kids Act, 20 October 2026