Children's rights in the digital environment
Children are digital natives. Given the opportunity and resources, they can easily navigate the internet, social media, and other digital tools. The online world offers many opportunities for learning, social interactions, developing skills, and playing. However, not all children have equal access to internet, electronic tools and devices. Besides, there are threats in the digital world such as abuse, cyberbullying, hate speech, harmful content, and misinformation. Over-exposure to screen time may also lead to physical and/or mental wellbeing problems.
The EU takes the protection of minors online very seriously. The long-standing commitment to support, protect, empower and respect children is at heart of the Commission’s revised Better Internet for Kids strategy (BIK+), adopted in May 2022.
The BIK+ strategy aims to improve children’s well-being online through a safe, age-appropriate digital environment that respects their best interests. The strategy’s actions are based on three pillars:
- Protect children and young people from harmful and illegal online content, conduct, contact and risks as young consumers, by creating a safe digital environment.
- Empower children in the digital world and give them the necessary skills to make safe choices and express themselves online.
- Improve children’s active participation, with more child-led activities to foster innovative and creative digital experiences.
Under the BIK+ strategy, the Better Internet for Kids portal provides a wealth of resources and best practices for children, parents and educators via the co-funded network of Safer Internet Centres (SICs) in the Member States. The SICs provide training, awareness raising activities and resources in all EU languages on online safety and to support digital skills and media literacy among children and young people.
The BIK+ strategy complements and supports the implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA). Having protection of minors at its centre, the DSA requires all online platforms accessible to children to make sure that their services have a high level of privacy, safety and security for minors. Platforms are also required to set up mechanisms through which users can flag illegal content.
The DSA requires clear terms and conditions so that young users can understand them. The DSA bans dark patterns (which are interfaces that deceive or manipulate users) and prohibits all online platforms from presenting children with advertising based on profiling. The DSA requires major platforms and search engines (with over 45 million monthly users in the EU) to identify and mitigate potential risks to minors effectively and proportionately.
The protection of minors is also at the centre of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD). This directive requires mitigation measures including effective age verification systems and parental control tools when appropriate. The aim is to avoid that minors are exposed to harmful content (gratuitous violence, pornography, etc.) that may impair their mental development.
As part of the EU’s strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse, the Commission has proposed a Regulation to prevent and combat child sexual abuse. Once adopted, it will force online service providers to assess and reduce the risk of misuse of their services to distribute child sexual abuse material or to groom children. Another initiative to combat child sexual abuse is the revision of the Directive on combatting sexual abuse and exploitation of children. This Directive provides a common framework for criminal investigations and prosecutions of child sexual abuse and exploitation crimes.
The EU framework to protect children’s rights in the digital environment ensures that children can safely navigate the digital environment and harness its opportunities:
- Forthcoming guidelines on assuring a high level of privacy, safety and security for minors under the Digital Services Act (2025)
- Communication 2022/212 - A Digital Decade for children and youth: the new European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+)
- European strategy for a better Internet for kids (BIK+) - Compendium of legislation
- Regulation 2022/2065 on a Single Market for Digital Services (Digital Services Act)
- Directive 2011/93/EU on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography
- Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA on combating certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia
- Directive (EU) 2018/1808 on the Audiovisual Media Services (AVMSD)
- Directive (EU) 2019/882 on the accessibility requirements for products and services
- Regulation (EU) 2016/679 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data
- Directive 2005/29/EC on Unfair Commercial Practices
- Communication on Tackling online disinformation: a European Approach
Other relevant resources:
- Digital Competence Framework 2.0, EU Science Hub, European Commission
- Safer Internet Centres network
- Better Internet for Kids - BIK platform
- The Digital Services Act (DSA) explained - Measures to protect children and young people online (Public-friendly factsheet)
- Child-friendly version of European strategy for a better Internet for kids (BIK+)