The proposed EU Kids Act is expected to set 15 as the age at which teenagers could independently hold accounts on major social-media services. Younger users would face progressively stronger restrictions and parental controls under the draft framework being prepared by the Commission.

The proposal has not yet become EU law. The Commission is expected to formally present the legislation this week, after which it would have to be negotiated and approved by the European Parliament and EU member states.

The initiative reflects growing pressure across Europe to limit children’s exposure to harmful content, addictive platform features and other online risks.

Proposed age-based access

The draft framework would use different levels of access depending on a child’s age rather than applying a single rule to every minor.

Children under 3 would have no access to the covered services. Those between 3 and 12 would be directed toward child-friendly services with parental controls, while 13- and 14-year-olds could receive limited access under strict parental supervision. Independent accounts would generally begin at 15 under the proposal.

The measures are expected to cover more than traditional social networks.

The Commission’s proposed framework could also apply restrictions to video-sharing platforms, online games and AI chatbot services. Major platforms potentially affected include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, while AI services such as ChatGPT could also fall within the wider framework.

The exact scope remains subject to change before the legislation is formally presented.

Platforms would face new obligations

The proposed rules would also shift more responsibility toward technology companies.

Platforms would be expected to introduce reliable age-verification systems, strengthen parental controls and provide mechanisms for reporting harmful material. The draft also includes requirements aimed at limiting design features considered particularly addictive.

The EU has already been developing technical tools for age verification.

The European Commission says its age-verification approach is intended to allow users to demonstrate that they meet legal age requirements while protecting unnecessary disclosure of personal information. A technical blueprint was made available in 2025, and a feature-ready version of the system became available in April 2026.

That technology could become important if the EU introduces mandatory age thresholds across a large number of online services.

Pressure has grown across Europe

The EU initiative comes as individual European countries have pursued their own approaches to restricting children’s access to social media.

France has considered legislation establishing a minimum age of 15 for certain social-network services, while Norway has notified the European Commission of a draft law that would prevent children from using social media until the year they turn 16.

Those national measures have created pressure for a more consistent European approach.

A common EU framework could reduce differences between national rules and give technology companies a single set of requirements to follow across the bloc. But the proposal will still have to navigate disagreements over age thresholds, enforcement and the definition of services covered by the legislation.

The rules are not yet law

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to outline the initiative as part of her annual State of the Union address, with the detailed EU Kids Act proposal to follow.

The legislative process could take considerably longer than the political announcement.

Once formally proposed, the legislation would need to pass through the EU’s ordinary legislative process, including negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council representing member states. The final rules could therefore differ from the current draft.

The central issue will be how far the EU can restrict children’s access while maintaining workable age verification, parental choice and protections for young people’s privacy and participation online.

For now, the Commission’s initiative marks a move toward a common European standard rather than an immediate EU-wide social-media ban for everyone under 15.

Reporting Credit: European Commission — EU digital policy, age-verification framework and preparation of the EU Kids Act; European Commission Technical Regulation Information System — notified national age-restriction proposals from EU and EEA countries; European Parliament and Council of the European Union — subsequent legislative consideration of the proposed EU framework.

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Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). UNICEF said the conflict is now concentrated in the Kordofan, Darfur and Blue Nile regions, where drone warfare accounts for about 60% of reported casualties involving children.

The latest warning comes as the United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom and other governments have expressed growing concern over reports of possible atrocities as the Sudanese military and the RSF battle for control of the strategic city of El-Obeid in North Kordofan.

On Monday, the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council in Geneva approved a resolution introduced by five European countries condemning the escalating violence by the RSF and its allied forces in and around El-Obeid.

The measure, adopted without a vote, also called for increased support for countries hosting Sudanese refugees and condemned “all forms of external interference” in the conflict.

Humanitarian Crisis Deepens

The war has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced approximately 13 million and pushed large areas of Sudan into famine, according to humanitarian agencies.

More than 30 million people now require humanitarian assistance.

UNICEF said drone strikes and shelling have repeatedly targeted civilian infrastructure, including schools, markets, fuel depots and water facilities, placing more than 500,000 people at risk. In several communities, civilians have endured conditions resembling prolonged sieges for more than a year.

“Children are being caught in a relentless cycle of violence, displacement and deprivation,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF’s representative for Sudan.

The United Nations urged all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and take all possible measures to protect children from harm.

Gold Mine Collapse Kills Informal Miners

In a separate incident on Monday, at least 15 informal miners were killed after part of an abandoned gold mine collapsed near Wadi Halfa, close to Sudan’s border with Egypt, authorities said.

One additional miner was injured in the collapse at the Mohamed Taqfiq mine, according to the state-run Sudanese Mineral Resources Company.

The company said miners had resumed operations at the site despite authorities previously closing it because of safety concerns.

Sudan remains one of Africa’s leading gold producers, with official figures showing production reached 70 tons last year, up from 64 tons in 2024.

Most of the country’s gold is extracted through artisanal and small-scale mining, where safety regulations are often poorly enforced.

Fatal mine accidents occur frequently. In May, at least seven miners died in a collapse in Red Sea State, while another 13 were killed in South Kordofan in January.

This report is based on reporting by The Associated Press. 

Topics: Sudan | UNICEF | Children | Humanitarian Crisis | Rapid Support Forces | Civil War | Gold Mining | World News

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Senior police official Faisal Kamran said emergency crews continued searching through the debris after receiving reports that additional children could still be trapped beneath the rubble. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Authorities said the owner of the private tutoring center and another individual were arrested as investigators began examining the cause of the collapse.

Preliminary Investigation Points to Structural Failures

According to Kamran, the tutoring center was operating inside an aging residential building where an unfinished second floor was under construction. Officials believe the roof gave way because of poor construction quality.

Investigators are continuing to assess the structural integrity of the building while determining whether construction regulations had been violated.

Building collapses remain a recurring problem in Pakistan, where construction standards are frequently criticized for weak enforcement. Many structures are built using substandard materials, while safety regulations are often overlooked to reduce construction costs.

Rescue Teams and Residents Race to Save Trapped Children

Witnesses said ambulances, rescue personnel and local residents rushed to the scene immediately after the collapse.

Residents joined emergency workers in clearing debris with shovels and their bare hands as rescuers searched for survivors beneath the wreckage.

Authorities said rescue operations continued for several hours amid concerns that more victims could remain trapped.

Grief and Anger Spread Across Lahore Community

As victims’ bodies were returned to their families, scenes of mourning unfolded outside hospitals and throughout the neighborhood where the tutoring center operated.

Parents wept over the loss of their children while relatives gathered to comfort grieving families ahead of funeral prayers expected later Tuesday.

Many of the victims lived near the tutoring center, intensifying the impact on the surrounding community.

Residents also expressed anger over what they described as unsafe conditions at the privately operated learning center.

“We don’t know whose home to visit first to offer condolences for the loss of their children,” local resident Zafar Iqbal said while moving between the homes of grieving families.

Community members called for strict legal action against the tutoring center’s owner, arguing that classes should not have been held inside what they described as an old and unsafe building.

National Leaders Offer Condolences

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued separate statements expressing sorrow over the tragedy.

Both leaders extended condolences to the victims’ families, wished those injured a speedy recovery and emphasized the need for stronger building safety measures to help prevent similar incidents.

Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, is home to numerous private tutoring centers that many families rely on to provide additional education for children after regular school hours.

The investigation into the collapse remains ongoing as authorities continue rescue efforts and examine whether negligence or construction violations contributed to one of the city’s deadliest building accidents involving schoolchildren in recent years.

Tags: Pakistan, Lahore, Punjab, Building Collapse, Schoolchildren, Tutoring Center, Construction Safety, Rescue Operation, Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, Public Safety, Infrastructure

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