[REVISION HISTORY]

Digital child and youth protection initiatives

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2026-10-29 20:18 UTC → 2026-10-30 03:10 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Efforts to improve digital safety for children and youth have gained momentum through regulatory advocacy and expert recommendations. In the European Union, the Commission has proposed the ‘EU Kids Act’, a regulatory framework designed to harmonize child protection on digital platforms and prevent market fragmentation. This initiative establishes a tiered access model: children under 13 would be prohibited from social media, while those aged 13 to 15 would be restricted to parental-supervised ‘mini accounts’ with a one-hour daily limit. Full independent accounts would be permitted for those aged 15 and older. The Act targets social media, video-sharing, gaming, app stores, and AI chatbots, utilizing a ‘safety by design’ and ‘safety by default’ principle to eliminate addictive features. Non-compliance could result in penalties of up to 6% of a company's global turnover. To prevent a “patchwork of different national laws” that could create an “unworkable compliance maze” for digital platforms, the European Commission has imposed a 12-month moratorium on national legislative projects aiming to restrict social media access for minors. This decision seeks to prioritize the negotiation of the EU Kids Act and ensure a harmonized approach across the bloc. ~~The~~ Commission ~~noted~~ spokesperson Thomas Regnier stated that ~~several member states, including Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Belgium, and France, have initiated or proposed national measures. During this transition period, the Commission intends~~ a “united European response is necessary to ~~rely on the strict enforcement~~ ensure all children receive equal levels of ~~the Digital Services Act (DSA) to maintain protections for young users.~~ protection.” This moratorium has drawn criticism from Austria, which had planned to ban social media access for children under 14. Austrian ~~officials~~ officials, including Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler, expressed dissatisfaction, ~~stating~~ arguing that the freeze prevents member states from taking immediate protective action while a comprehensive European solution is still pending. Austria intends to continue preparing its legislation for implementation once the moratorium expires. Other countries mentioned in relation to pending or existing national legislation include France, Italy, Slovenia, Belgium, and Greece.

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