The European Commission presented its plan for a new European strategy for a more child-friendly internet on Wednesday 11 May. This proposed legislation is part of the package on children’s rights, which also includes a proposal to prevent and combat sexual abuse against children (see other news).
In concrete terms, the aims of the Commission’s proposal, at a time when technologies and their use by children have changed dramatically in recent years and the dangers of exposure to disinformation and cyber-bullying have increased, are to develop a set of practices to ensure that children have access to accessible, age-appropriate and informative online content and services.
The proposal is based on three pillars. The first of these is to protect children from online content, behaviour and risks. To this end, the Commission will facilitate the development of an EU code for “age-appropriate design” and require a European standard on age verification. The deadline for this is 2024.
In addition, the potential contribution of the future European Digital Identity Wallet will also be studied (see EUROPE 12947/3). Work will also be carried out on how to report illegal and harmful content online quickly and on setting up the harmonised number to help victims of cyberbullying.
Furthermore, the Commission relies on media literacy to develop digital empowerment, which should enable children to acquire the skills and competences needed to develop online.
“With this new strategy, we want to support children’s access to digital devices and skills, especially for those in vulnerable situations, to fight cyberbullying and to protect all children”, said Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for a Europe fit for the Digital Age.
The network of Safer Internet Centres should also strengthen support for children within the Member States, at local or national level.
Finally, the Commission’s strategy also relies on the active participation of children, through practical activities addressed to them. The Commission suggests that children should be trained by other children who are more experienced in this field. A child-led evaluation of the strategy will be conducted every 2 years.
The strategy presented on 11 May is in line with the texts on digital services (DSA) (see EUROPE 12938/6) and digital markets (DMA) (see EUROPE 12919/12), on which political agreements were recently reached between the European Parliament and the EU Council. Several provisions concerning young people and children, such as the ban on targeted advertising to minors, are already included in these texts.
“With the new child-friendly internet strategy, children will have the same rights online and offline”, concluded Vice-President for Democracy and Demography Dubravka Šuica. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)