The European Commission has opened a public consultation on the proposed EU Kids Act, a planned initiative aimed at strengthening online protections for children. The consultation opened on 2 October 2026 and will close on 3 December 2026.
According to the Commission, the feedback received will be summarised and presented to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, with the stated aim of feeding into the broader legislative debate on the initiative.
The consultation sits alongside existing Commission work on a better internet for children and on strengthening trust and security online, though the summary provided does not set out detailed substantive proposals at this stage.
The EU Kids Act is a separate legislative initiative from the EU AI Act, but the two areas may intersect where AI systems are used in services, products, or platforms accessed by minors. Organisations developing or deploying AI systems that interact with or affect children should note that child-related risks are already a relevant consideration under the EU AI Act's risk-based framework, including provisions addressing vulnerable groups.
For organisations operating in the children's digital services space, this consultation represents an early opportunity to engage with forthcoming rules before they are finalised. As a compliance matter, tracking how the EU Kids Act develops alongside existing EU AI Act obligations will help organisations anticipate overlapping requirements rather than treating each framework in isolation.
Veritome will continue to monitor the consultation process and report on any draft legislative text or Commission proposals that emerge once the consultation period closes.