The EU Wants to Break Up Kids and Their Chatbots
That includes not pinning AI companions and general conversational chatbots at the top of a minor’s contacts list, it says—as had been done by Snapchat.The proposal is limited to AI companions and general conversational chatbots seen by the Commission to pose serious risks to minors health, safety, and well-being. Around half of Europeans aged 11 to 25 have discussed intimate or personal matters with AI chatbots, according to an Ipsos BVA survey across France, Germany, Sweden and Ireland. Children who say they use AI chatbots for schoolwork get lower test scores than those who don’t, according to research spanning 91 countries by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- ▪That includes not pinning AI companions and general conversational chatbots at the top of a minor’s contacts list, it says—as had been done by Snapchat.The proposal is limited to AI companions and general conversational chatbots seen by the
- ▪Around half of Europeans aged 11 to 25 have discussed intimate or personal matters with AI chatbots, according to an Ipsos BVA survey across France, Germany, Sweden and Ireland.
- ▪Children who say they use AI chatbots for schoolwork get lower test scores than those who don’t, according to research spanning 91 countries by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
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| Publication time | Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:06:50 +0000 |
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Isabella WardPoliticsSep 17, 2026 6:06 AMThe EU Wants to Break Up Kids and Their ChatbotsChatGPT, Character.ai and Snapchat My AI will all be in the crosshairs as the AI Kids Act aims to strip minor-facing chatbots of all the things that make people love them.Photo-illustration: WIRED Staff; Getty ImagesCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyThe EU plans to ban chatbots from simulating emotions or interpersonal relationships in interactions with anyone under the age of 18 as the bloc tries to stop children from developing emotional dependencies on the technology.The rules will be part of the EU Kids Act, proposed on Thursday, which includes similar restrictions on minors’ access to social media and video-sharing platforms.
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