“However they’re designed, age gates undermine civil liberties, reduce safety, and create barriers to internet entry, often at the expense of marginalized groups.”
No accounts under 13, supervised accounts from 13 to 15, and age checks for everyone. Every adult in the EU gets carded to protect the kids. There is no small-business exemption, so the giants absorb the compliance cost and smaller rivals choke on it. Big tech gets a moat and Brussels calls it safety.