EU and UK Regulators Both Move to Restrict Infinite Scroll and Notification Features for Under-16s

The EU's proposed KIDS Act, published in September 2026, and the UK's Online Safety Act framework for a spring 2027 under-16 social media ban both include restrictions on infinite scroll, autoplay, and persistent notification systems that are designed to extend engagement beyond the user's original intention. The EU proposals classify these as addictive AI design features prohibited in products used by minors, while the UK framework addresses them through age-specific protections requiring platforms to apply usage curfews and notification limits to under-16 accounts.

The convergence of EU and UK approaches on these specific design features reflects common ground in the regulatory analysis: both jurisdictions treat infinite scroll and algorithmic notification systems as design choices that impose costs on young users without proportionate benefits, and both have concluded that the commercial rationale for these features — extending time on platform to increase advertising inventory — is not a sufficient justification for deploying them in products accessible to children and teenagers.

Ofcom is expected to publish a rapid assessment of age assurance standards at the age-16 threshold in October 2026, ahead of UK legislative amendments that will establish the framework for implementation in spring 2027. Platform operators subject to both EU and UK requirements face the prospect of maintaining parallel compliance architectures for their under-16 user populations, with different technical requirements and different implementation timelines across the two regimes.

Why it matters for business: Social media platforms, gaming companies, and streaming services with significant under-16 user bases face product design changes mandated simultaneously by two of the world's largest digital regulatory environments. The commercial implication is a reduction in the advertising inventory and engagement time attributable to younger user cohorts — a revenue impact that will need to be absorbed or offset. Platforms that have already invested in robust age assurance and age-specific product experiences are better positioned than those for whom under-16 engagement metrics remain indistinguishable from the adult user base.

Source: CDT Europe / Lewis Silkin, September 2026, https://cdt.org/insights/cdt-europes-ai-bulletin-september-2026/