European Commission child digital safety initiatives

The European Commission has introduced a series of proposals and initiatives aimed at enhancing digital safety for children. Initial efforts focused on a report proposing measures such as stronger age-verification systems, “safety by design” for digital platforms, and protections against harmful content. While Spanish pediatric groups welcomed these steps, they noted the proposals were modest compared to stricter scientific recommendations regarding screen time.

Subsequent actions expanded to address specific harms, including cyberbullying and sexual abuse. To combat cyberbullying, the Commission outlined an action plan that includes the development of an EU-wide app for confidential reporting and evidence storage. Additionally, a new 135-page regulation proposal was published to prevent child sexual abuse. This includes requirements for service providers to conduct risk assessments and the potential implementation of “detection orders” to mandate technical measures for identifying prohibited content. The Commission also proposed creating a new EU Centre dedicated to developing detection technologies.