Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games, has reacted to reports that the EU is planning a law that would severely limit how much kids under 15 can access online games, video platforms, social media apps, and chatbots. His response came after Reuters reported on the proposal, which could effectively bar children from playing Fortnite “terrible for the next generation of humanity,”.
The report, published on September 14, cites a document showing the EU’s approach. The document states: “The Union’s approach should allow minors to benefit from the huge potential of digital services, while protecting them from abuse and exploitation. It needs to limit the access of tech companies to our children, and not the other way around.”
Under the proposal, children aged 15 and up would be able to freely create their own accounts. Fourteen- and 13-year-olds could ask parents to help them set up “introductory accounts” with limited access and strict time limits. Children between three and 12 would only have access to child accounts fully controlled by parents, which could only be used to access child-friendly services and apps. Kids under three would have no legal access to online games and apps.
The law has not yet been adopted. It remains a draft, and the EU will need to work with member states over the coming months to make changes before it can become law across the Union.
Sweeney’s Response
On Twitter on September 16, Sweeney posted a response on 2026, which read: “The apps and games of today are the paintbrushes and tree forts of yesterday. Fortnite has Creative Mode, Roblox has Roblox Studio, and being a digital creator is in everyone’s reach, till politicians take it away.”.
He went by the handle @TimSweeneyEpic. The man referred to the proposed law as “terrible”, and he said it would be “terrible for the next generation of humanity.”.
What the Document Says
The document’s language reflects a tension between access and protection. It says the EU’s approach should let minors benefit from digital services while shielding them from abuse and exploitation. It also says the approach needs to limit the access of tech companies to children, not the other way around.
Sweeney is already pushing back against the proposal, and critics have raised alarms about privacy, warning that these regulations could be used to limit what people can see online and adults’ ability to reach much of the free web.
The Hard Numbers
- Ban proposal: Restricts kids under 15 from accessing online games, video platforms, social media apps, and chatbots
- 15+ age group: Freely create their own accounts
- 14-13 age group: Parent-assisted introductory accounts with limited access and strict time limits
- 3-12 age group: Child accounts fully controlled by parents, used only for child-friendly services and apps
- Under 3: No legal access to online games and apps
- Announcement: Proposed, details may change
- Adoption: Requires EU work with member countries before becoming law
- Sweeney’s response: Posted on September 16, 2026, via @TimSweeneyEpic
The Pushback Context
Many governments are tightening controls over how children use digital services, and Sweeney’s opposition comes at that very moment. Some U.S. states now demand proof of age before people can access pornographic websites. In Australia, a new law has tied credit card payments to Steam accounts as part of that country’s efforts to protect children.
Sweeney’s argument positions Epic as a defender of creative freedom, while placing it against regulation. The EU’s document frames its approach as one that protects children from abuse and exploitation while limiting tech companies’, for its part, has access to the same material.
Sweeney has given his word, and the EU is now moving ahead with its proposal. The negotiations with member countries lie ahead, and it is unknown whether the plan will survive them.
Who is protecting what
The practical effect of the proposal is clear: children under 15 would lose access to Fortnite and similar services, while older teens gain more freedom and parents keep control of younger accounts. Sweeney’s framing of Fortnite as a modern paintbrush or tree fort is meant to protect Epic’s business from further restriction, since a ban on kid access would hit his platform directly.
The paper suspects the EU is pushing this law to strengthen its case for state regulation of tech companies, using corporate opposition as evidence of industry resistance to oversight. That is the pattern here: Epic pushes back, and the EU can then point to corporate pushback as proof of why regulation is needed.
Ask yourself why the timing matters. Many governments are tightening controls over how children use digital services, and Sweeney’s opposition comes at that very moment. The EU’s document frames its approach as one that protects children from abuse and exploitation while limiting tech companies’ access to children — a framing that puts the companies in the position of resisting protection.
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