European Commission proposes new actions to combat online child abuse and cyberbullying

The European Commission has introduced new initiatives and regulations aimed at protecting children from online harms, including cyberbullying and sexual abuse.

To combat cyberbullying, the Commission outlined an action plan at the European Parliament that includes the development of an EU-wide app. This tool is intended to allow children to confidentially report abuse, store evidence, and connect with law enforcement or child protection services. The initiative follows findings that cyberbullying affects as many as one in six children aged 11 to 15. This move coincides with increased scrutiny of social media platforms, including a recent finding that TikTok’s design features breached the Digital Services Act.

Additionally, a new proposed regulation has been published to prevent and combat child sexual abuse. This 135-page proposal would require hosting and communication service providers to conduct risk assessments and implement mitigation measures. The regulation includes provisions for “detection orders,” which could mandate technical measures to detect the dissemination of child sexual abuse material. It also proposes the creation of a new EU Centre to develop detection technologies and generate indicators for prohibited content.