European Parliament adopts amendments to tighten online child protection

The European Parliament approved a set of amendments that limit the ePrivacy derogation allowing service providers to scan private communications for sexual abuse of minors. The changes require any detection activity to be authorised by a judicial authority and exclude end‑to‑end‑encrypted messages from mandatory monitoring. The temporary exemption will end on 3 April 2026, after which negotiations on a permanent framework for combating online child sexual abuse will continue.

In Italy, the regional child‑rights authority in Sardinia outlined its 2026 programme to reinforce digital safety for children and adolescents. The plan includes expanding a network of volunteer guardians for unaccompanied foreign minors, creating a digital‑rights pact involving schools, families and institutions, and improving monitoring of reception facilities and family‑care placements. Both initiatives aim to give adults and authorities better tools to protect minors from online risks while preserving the benefits of digital technologies.