EU Proposes Ban on Emotional Chatbots for Minors in New Kids Act
The EU’s September 2026 draft would ban chatbots from simulating emotions or relationships for under-18s and block cross-conversation memory. Children under 13 would need guardian supervision, while violations could cost platforms 6% of global turnover.
The European Union proposed legislation in September 2026 that would ban chatbots from simulating emotions or interpersonal relationships in interactions with anyone under 18, as part of a broader effort to prevent children from developing emotional dependencies on AI technology.
The measures are included in the proposed EU Kids Act, which also places restrictions on minors’ access to social media and video-sharing platforms. Under the draft legislation, children under 13 would be banned from accessing chatbots without guardian supervision. Digital platforms that fail to build child-safety protections into their products could face fines of up to 6% of total worldwide turnover.
Chatbots operating in the EU would also be prohibited from retaining memory of interactions between separate conversations. The European Commission cited concerns that persistent memory could lead to systems accumulating sensitive data on minors over time and potentially reinforcing harmful interaction patterns.
The proposed law would also bar social networking sites, video-sharing platforms, and games from automatically activating or promoting AI chatbots on their services — including pinning AI companions at the top of a minor’s contacts list, a practice previously used by Snapchat. ChatGPT, Character.ai, and Snapchat’s My AI are among the services expected to fall within the rules’ scope.
The Commission stated it is concerned that chatbot dependency may negatively affect a child’s development and relationships with other humans, and that chatbots may provide minors with dangerous advice on mental health and personal development. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a press conference that “platforms have been playing fast and loose with children’s mental health.” An Ipsos BVA survey across France, Germany, Sweden, and Ireland found that around half of Europeans aged 11 to 25 have discussed intimate or personal matters with AI chatbots.
The Commission also pointed to research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, spanning 91 countries, showing that children who use AI chatbots for schoolwork achieve lower test scores than those who do not.
While the Kids Act targets minors specifically, Simeon de Brouwer of the Brussels-based advocacy group European Digital Rights told WIRED the restrictions should apply more broadly, questioning whether all users deserve protection from addictive AI design. A separate Digital Fairness Act, expected later in 2026, is anticipated to address addictive design practices for general audiences.