Subject: Protection of children online
The protection of children is of the utmost importance in a democratic and fairly governed society. The same is true of the digital world, which is gaining more and more ground in our daily lives. Children today grow up with social media and with easy, fast access to the internet. Through the use of specific technologies and algorithms, social media create an addictive environment which, when taken together with the vulnerable nature of young children, poses risks. Our children need our protection, and this must extend to the online world too.
According to the Eurobarometer survey on ‘the protection of children against online sexual abuse’, 92% of those surveyed from all Member States agree that children are increasingly at risk online. They also agree that tools such as ‘parental control’ are not enough to combat the risks to which children are exposed.
1. How does the Commission plan to legislate to strengthen the protection of children online?
2. How can it exert pressure on social media companies to take measures to control access by under-age users?
Submitted:2.4.2024
Answer given by Mr Breton on behalf of the European Commission
(29 May 2024)
With the Digital Services Act (DSA) (1), the EU has already in place rules that oblige online platforms of all sizes to ensure high levels of privacy, safety, and security for minors. The DSA also bans all platforms from presenting advertisements based on profiling for minors.
The DSA obliges providers of platforms with more than 45 million monthly active recipients in the EU (2) to assess and put in place efficient mitigation measures against systemic risks.
In November 2023 the Commission launched an inquiry into the protection of minors under the DSA by sending information requests to all very large online platforms with a significant underage user base (TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat), with a particular focus on the effects on mental and physical health, such as addictio n (3). On this basis, due to suspected infringements of the DSA, the Commission has opened two non-compliance cases against TikTok.
The first, launched in February 2024, concerns TikTok’s algorithmic systems, that may stimulate behavioural addictions (4). The investigation is ongoing.
The second, launched in April 2024, concerns TikTok Lite, based on the suspicion that some features of this new application may cause negative effects on mental health. The Commission communicated to TikTok its intention to suspend the relevant features in the EU pending the assessment of their safety. As a result, TikTok announced unilaterally to withdraw the relevant features (5). The non-compliance case remains nonetheless open, and the investigation is ongoing.
The Commission is also working on age-verification solutions (6) as well as on guidelines on child protection under the DSA. The Commission also adopted an initiative on integrated child protection systems (7) to encourage Member States to find systemic solutions to tackle violence against children.
1 ∙ ⸱ Regulation (EU) 2022/2065, https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/digital-services-act-package; https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/2065/oj
2 ∙ ⸱ So called very large online platforms or VLOPs.
3 ∙ ⸱ https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/list-designated-vlops-and-vloses
4 ∙ ⸱ https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-opens-formal-proceedings-against-tiktok-under-digital-services-act
5 ∙ ⸱ https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/STATEMENT_24_2290
6 ∙ ⸱ A proof-of-concept pilot using the EU Digital Identity wallet for Age Verification (AV) 18+ is underway with several Member States ( i.e., Denmark, Ireland,
France, Italy, and Spain). Under the Better Internet for Kids+ Strategy (https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/strategy-better-Internet-kids), the Commission is preparing a standardisation request for a technical standard on AV to ensure any other solutions meet the EU Digital Wallet’s high standards in terms of privacy, safety, and security (https://ec.europa.eu/digital-building-blocks/sites/display/EUDIGITALIDENTITYWALLET/). 7 ∙ ⸱ https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/36591cfb-1b0a-4130-985e-332fd87d40c1_en?filename=C_2024_2680_1_EN_ACT_part1_v8