ANPD urges strengthened parental supervision on social media

Miriam Wimmer, a director at Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority (ANPD), has called for increased parental supervision of children and adolescents on digital platforms. Speaking at an event hosted by the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), Wimmer emphasized that leaving children to navigate the internet without guidance is comparable to letting them walk alone on a dangerous street.

Following the approval of the Digital Statute of the Child and Adolescent (Law No. 15.211/2025), the ANPD’s role has expanded to include regulating, guiding, and inspecting digital service providers. Under this legislation, companies are required to provide free and accessible parental control tools. Key provisions include the requirement that accounts for minors under 16 must be linked to a legal guardian's profile, moving beyond simple age self-declaration.

The ANPD aims to combat manipulative platform architectures that promote compulsive use or excessive data collection from young users. Additionally, experts noted during the event that cyberbullying affects approximately 40% of children and adolescents in Brazil, impacting an estimated 16 million victims.