欧盟公布《儿童法案》拟限制15岁以下群体使用社交媒体EU Proposes Kids Act to Restrict Social Media Access for Under-15s

欧盟委员会主席冯德莱恩在欧洲议会正式阐述了《欧盟儿童法案》的阶梯式管理架构。该方案明确划分了三个年龄阶段的具体使用权限：13岁以下儿童将受到全面禁止访问的限制；13至15岁的未成年人每天最多获得1小时的使用配额，且必须通过父母或监护人账户所设立的“迷你账户”接入平台；只有年满15岁的青少年才被允许独立建立个人社交媒体账户。

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen formally detailed the tiered structure of the EU Kids Act before the European Parliament. Under the framework, children under the age of 13 face a complete ban from accessing platforms. Teenagers aged 13 to 15 are restricted to a maximum of one hour of daily access, operated exclusively through mini accounts linked to a parent or legal guardian's profile, while only young people aged 15 and older are permitted to set up and manage independent social media accounts.

除了TikTok、Instagram和Snapchat等主流社交应用外，该法案的规制边界还延伸至YouTube等视频分享平台、人工智能聊天机器人以及网络游戏。冯德莱恩在讲话中指出，太多儿童过早接触到尚未具备应对能力的网络环境，面临网络欺凌常态化以及个人过失被永久记录等风险。她此前在5月曾提出推迟儿童接触社交媒体的构想，并强调存在关于社交媒体危害的坚实证据基础。

The scope of the proposed restrictions extends beyond conventional social apps such as TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat to encompass YouTube and other video-sharing services, artificial intelligence chatbots, and online video games. Von der Leyen stated that excessive numbers of young people encounter digital environments before they are equipped to navigate them, citing concerns over persistent online bullying and permanent records of personal mistakes. She noted that discussions over setting a minimum access age could no longer be postponed, citing a robust body of evidence regarding social media harms.

依据《欧盟儿童法案》的监管框架，科技企业必须对其平台上所有18岁以下的用户执行严格的“安全设计”原则。提案明确要求各大平台主动消除可能引发成瘾或产生不良影响的产品功能，严禁设置诱导性数字陷阱，以防止未成年人陷入过度使用或接触不良信息。

Under the regulatory framework of the proposed EU Kids Act, technology companies must implement strict safety-by-design standards across their services for every user under the age of 18. The draft rules require digital platforms to systematically eliminate toxic and addictive product features, while prohibiting design traps that could manipulate younger users into excessive screen time or expose them to harmful digital environments.

为确保合规执行，受监管的互联网公司必须向监管机构提交详尽的儿童安全保护方案，主动证明其底层系统架构符合安全标准。欧盟委员会同时设立了严厉的惩戒机制，未能遵守安全设计义务或无法按要求证明其平台安全性的科技公司，将面临最高达其全球年销售额6%的巨额罚款。欧盟委员会主席冯德莱恩向议员表示，设定年龄准入门槛并不意味着免除科技公司对其平台所承载内容的监管与安全责任。

To ensure structural compliance, technology firms will be required to submit comprehensive child safety plans demonstrating that their platform architectures actively protect young users. The European Commission has established significant financial enforcement mechanisms for non-compliance, warning that companies failing to prove their platforms are safe by design face regulatory fines reaching up to 6% of their total global annual sales. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told lawmakers that establishing age thresholds does not release tech corporations from accountability regarding content hosted across their platforms.

针对限制未成年人使用社交平台的提案，部分批评人士对实施过程中的隐私保护表达了关切。批评者提出，为了证明自己达到法定准入年龄，青少年在通过验证程序时可能会被迫提交个人敏感信息，这引发了关于未成年人数字隐私和数据安全的广泛质疑。

Critics of proposed social media restrictions for minors have raised significant privacy concerns regarding the implementation of mandatory checks. Their primary objection centers on the risk that teenagers might be forced to submit sensitive personal information and official records during verification procedures simply to demonstrate that they meet the minimum legal age thresholds to access digital services.

欧洲委员会对此回应称，年龄核验流程将依托欧盟现有的官方年龄验证应用程序完成，整个核验过程不会收集或共享任何用户的个人数据。欧洲委员会试图通过这一既有数字工具的技术路径，在满足防范未成年人过早接入网络平台要求的同时，缓解公众与权利团体对强制实名审核及个人数据泄露的顾虑。

Addressing these privacy concerns, the European Commission stated that age checks will be conducted through the European Union's preexisting official age verification application. The Commission emphasized that this established technical framework operates without collecting or sharing any personal data, aiming to resolve anxieties from digital rights advocates over personal data surveillance while enforcing age restrictions across member states.

在欧盟层面公布统一方案前，法国和西班牙等个别欧盟国家已各自提出限制儿童使用社交媒体的法案。依据欧盟立法规则，全欧层面的法案一旦获得通过，将取代各成员国现有的同类法规，但各成员国仍保留采取比欧盟基准更为严格措施的权力。然而，各成员国此前在单独推进相关规定时曾遭遇司法阻力，法国马克龙政府曾起草针对15岁以下人群的社交媒体禁令，但法国最高法院在上个月以侵犯言论自由为由予以阻止，迫使法国部长级官员修改了原始方案。

Prior to the European Commission's unified proposal, individual European Union countries, including France and Spain, had already initiated their own national plans to restrict children's access to social media platforms. Any enacted EU-wide legislation would legally supersede these national measures, though individual member states would retain the option to introduce restrictions that go further than the bloc's baseline rules. National efforts have already encountered judicial obstacles; the government of French President Emmanuel Macron drafted legislation banning under-15s from social networks, but the country's top court blocked the measure last month on grounds that it infringed upon freedom of expression, prompting French ministers to amend their original text.

这项全欧立法的落地路径预计仍将面临诸多辩论与执行层面的疑问。在未来几个月的审议过程中，不同成员国可能会尝试强化或削弱相关条款内容，受规制的社交媒体企业也将阐明各自对限制政策的正式立场。欧盟各方围绕法案落地细节、执行机制以及科技企业责任边界的博弈预计将持续展开。

The broader legislative path forward for the EU-wide act is expected to encounter debates and enforcement questions as discussions proceed in the coming months. Individual member states may seek to either strengthen or weaken specific provisions within the draft act, while affected social media companies are expected to formalize their positions on the proposed limits during legislative deliberations.