Across Europe, a quiet but consequential question has moved into law: at what age does a child become ready to meet the internet alone? The European Commission's proposed Kids Act draws that line at 15, barring younger children from independent social media accounts and demanding that platforms prove they are built for safety rather than compulsion. The legislation reflects a growing conviction among policymakers that the architecture of digital platforms — not merely their content — shapes young minds in ways that warrant collective intervention. Whether the law can be enforced as firmly as i