The Agency, in its capacity as coordinator of digital services, informs the public that the expert group appointed by the European Commission in March 2026 has published a report on children’s online safety. The group comprised leading experts in the fields of health, neuroscience, psychology and children’s rights, as well as representatives of civil society and young people. In their work, they addressed the following key topics:
The advantages and disadvantages of introducing specific age restrictions for social media and other digital services;
Tailored approaches to protecting and empowering minors, based on age groups, socio-economic background and the risks specific to each age group;
Security by design and the responsibility of social media and other digital service providers;
Educational and awareness-raising measures to promote responsible use of the internet among children and young people, parents and carers, teachers and educators;
Support for parents and educators to empower children and young people to make the most of the opportunities offered by the digital world.
The report is based on six guiding principles for the protection and empowerment of children in the online environment:
A developmental approach -> Ensuring age-appropriate regulation and tailored guidance.
Ensuring equality and diversity -> Recognising inequalities in risks, exposure and digital harms across all groups.
Protection of minors -> Protection from harmful content, addictive design, digital neglect and criminal offences (e.g. sexual abuse, peer violence).
Empowerment and media education -> Enabling parents and carers to support minors’ digital skills and media literacy whilst ensuring responsible use.
Provider responsibility and consumer rights -> Ensuring safety by design and content-based regulation.
Children’s rights and participation -> Safeguarding the right to safe participation and co-creation of online content.
In addition to the full report, the expert group has also prepared an abridged version of the document and two tables containing brief guidelines for parents, children and teenagers.
The European Commission, and specifically its President Ursula von der Leyen, also responded to the findings and recommendations in the report with an official statement. In doing so, she emphasised that the report would serve as the direct basis for a comprehensive legislative proposal, which the European Commission will present immediately after the end of the summer with the aim of harmonising the rules for a safe digital environment across the European Union. Among the planned measures, the Commission has announced that it will set a statutory minimum age for accessing social media, which will limit the exposure of the youngest children, and the introduction of an age-verification app that also protects user privacy. On the other hand, the decision on when children will be given their first smartphone remains in the hands of their parents.
