New research strengthens calls for platform accountability while keeping privacy and children’s rights in focus European Union governments are urging the E…
New research strengthens calls for platform accountability while keeping privacy and children’s rights in focus
European Union governments are urging the European Commission to move quickly on stronger protections for children online, as new research documents widespread exposure to hateful content, privacy concerns and potentially harmful material. The emerging consensus gives Brussels political room to act, but it does not settle difficult questions about social media age limits, identity checks and young people’s right to participate online.
Representatives of all 27 EU member states discussed the issue during the Irish Council Presidency’s conference on online safety in Dublin, which concluded on Friday.
The Irish Presidency reported broad support for rapid and decisive European action. Ireland has offered to lead negotiations once the Commission presents a proposal responding to its expert panel on child safety online.
That is a significant political signal, but it is not a formal Council position or an agreement on legislation. Governments still differ over how age restrictions should work, which services should be covered and how users could demonstrate their age without surrendering unnecessary personal information.
Children describe a digital world of opportunity and risk
The debate has gained urgency from the latest EU Kids Online comparative survey, based on responses from 28,465 children aged 10 to 16 in 19 European countries.
Smartphones were the main route online, with 87% of respondents using a mobile phone to access the internet every day. Around two-thirds reported using artificial intelligence tools regularly, often for learning or practical assistance.
Children nevertheless expressed considerable unease about the systems surrounding them. Half were worried that their personal information was being used for targeted advertising, while four in ten feared companies were sharing their data with third parties without consent. Only 30% said they trusted technology companies to protect their privacy.
Exposure to harmful content was also common. Thirty per cent encountered hateful messages at least monthly. Forty per cent reported seeing violent or gory images, 39% encountered material about becoming extremely thin and 37% had seen content about physical self-harm.
These figures require careful interpretation. The study covers 19 countries, including several outside the EU, and should not be treated as a referendum involving every European child. It does, however, provide direct evidence of experiences that are often discussed primarily by politicians, parents and technology companies.
Young people question blanket bans
Evidence presented in Dublin complicates the case for a prohibition-led approach. In the Irish section of the research, 69% of children said teaching young people how to remain safe online would be preferable to banning social media. Sixty-seven per cent believed children would find ways around a ban.
Parents were more divided. Many expected social media restrictions to improve mental health, safety and concentration at school, but 43% also thought children would circumvent a prohibition.
Those findings do not establish that age limits are ineffective. They suggest that legal restrictions cannot carry the entire burden. A credible framework would also need enforceable safety-by-design requirements, accessible reporting systems, digital literacy and meaningful involvement by children in decisions affecting them.
Responsibility should not rest mainly with families. Parents cannot independently inspect recommendation algorithms, rewrite default privacy settings or alter commercial systems designed to maximise attention. Platforms exercise that control and should therefore carry proportionate duties to reduce foreseeable harm.
Age assurance must not become routine surveillance
The EU already has several instruments in this field. The Digital Services Act requires the largest platforms to assess and reduce systemic risks to minors, prohibits targeted advertising based on children’s data and restricts manipulative design. Brussels is also developing an age-verification system intended to confirm whether a user meets an age threshold without disclosing other identifying details.
As The European Times previously reported, the central challenge is protecting children without constructing an intrusive identity infrastructure or excluding them from education, culture, friendships and civic participation.
That balance will depend on technical and legal detail. Age assurance should collect as little information as possible, avoid retaining records of the services people visit and offer alternatives for those without compatible devices or identity documents. Independent scrutiny will also be essential, particularly if private contractors process sensitive information.
Rules must distinguish between services and levels of risk. A platform built around public recommendations, commercial profiling and contact with strangers does not present the same dangers as a school forum or a private family messaging service. A single restriction applied indiscriminately could be both disproportionate and difficult to enforce.
Consensus is only the beginning
The Dublin discussions give the Commission a mandate for urgency, but not permission to bypass evidence or fundamental rights. Stronger enforcement of existing rules may prove as important as new legislation, especially where platforms have already identified young users while failing to provide age-appropriate defaults.
Children need protection from exploitation, harassment and deliberately addictive systems. They also have rights to privacy, information, expression and participation. Europe’s next framework will be judged by whether it can uphold those rights together, rather than sacrificing one set in the name of another.
