The protection of minors in the online environment has become one of the main regulatory themes at European level, given that children and adolescents spend an increasing part of their time on social platforms, online games and messaging services.
The Digital Services Act (DSA) introduces a set of clear obligations for platforms to reduce the risks to which minors are exposed and create a safer and more transparent digital environment.
A stricter European framework for the safety of children online
The Digital Services Regulation states that online platforms accessible to minors must ensure a high level of privacy, safety and security in the use of services. This obligation applies in particular to social networks, video sharing platforms, messaging applications and online games, where the interaction between users is continuous and difficult to control in real time.
One of the important changes brought by the DSA is the ban on the use of minors’ personal data for profiling-based advertising. In other words, platforms can no longer build marketing profiles based on the behavior of children and teens, thereby reducing their exposure to aggressive or age-inappropriate personalized ads.
At the same time, platforms are required to implement effective content reporting and moderation mechanisms so that illegal or harmful material can be identified and removed as quickly as possible.
Safety ‘by design’: how platforms are designed for minors
A central element of the regulation is the idea of ”safety by design”, which means that platforms must take into account the specific vulnerabilities of minors from the design stage of digital services.
This includes how interfaces are built, how recommendation systems work, and what type of content is automatically promoted to users. In practice, platforms must avoid mechanisms that may foster digital addiction or repeated exposure to harmful content.
To complete the legislative framework, the European Commission has published Guidelines on the protection of minors in the online environment, documents that detail good practices for platforms, even if they are not binding.
Targeted risks: from cyberbullying to harmful content
The European guidelines list several categories of risks to which children can be exposed in the online environment. These include the recruitment of minors for abusive purposes, known as “grooming”, online harassment or cyberbullying, harmful content and exposure to material that may encourage dangerous behaviour.
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Also targeted are aggressive commercial practices, as well as content promoting self-harm, eating disorders or dangerous viral challenges, which have become increasingly visible on certain social platforms in recent years.
What is specifically required of very large online platforms
In the case of very large online platforms, the so-called VLOPs, the European Commission recommends a set of additional measures aimed at reducing systemic risks.
These include the periodic assessment of the risks to which children and adolescents are exposed, the adaptation of recommendation systems to limit exposure to inappropriate content and the introduction of mechanisms to estimate or verify the age of users.
Platforms are also encouraged to set minors’ accounts to private by default to reduce unwanted contact, and to avoid design elements that encourage overuse, such as pushy notifications or “infinite scroll” mechanisms.
Parental control tools also play an important role, which must be easy to use and accessible to parents or guardians so that they can better manage their children’s online experience.
Authorities’ recommendations for users and parents
At the national level, ANCOM reminds that the protection of minors in the online environment does not depend exclusively on the platforms, but also on how they are used in the family. Although the minimum age to access online services varies between 13, 16 or 18 depending on the platform, responsible use remains essential.
In this context, the authority recommends keeping the default privacy settings for minors’ accounts, avoiding sharing personal information, and using the blocking and reporting features when inappropriate behavior or harmful content occurs.
Avoiding accessing suspicious material, limiting the time spent online and periodically checking the duration of use of digital platforms are also recommended.
For parents, an essential element is constant communication with minors about the risks of the online environment and how they can react in problematic situations. In case of difficulties, it is recommended to seek the support of a trusted adult, be it a parent, guardian or teacher.
