The Commission is preparing a European proposal for the protection of children on social platforms after the summer.
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The European executive is analyzing the recommendations received in July from the special group on online child safety and intends to present a proposal for a common approach at the EU level. The Commission is separately evaluating the law adopted in France regarding access for minors under 15 years old to social networks.
The European Commission intends to present a proposal regarding child protection on social platforms after the summer, following the analysis of the recommendations sent on July 13 by the special group tasked with examining the safety of minors in the online environment.
In short
The Commission is working on a common solution at the EU level and states that online child protection cannot be addressed exclusively through national measures.
The proposal is expected after the summer, following the completion of the analysis of the recommendations received on July 13 from the special group on child safety.
The European executive welcomed the measures adopted in France regarding access for children under 15 years old to social networks, but continues to verify their compatibility with EU legislation.
The European procedure for examining the French law includes a suspension period that ends on August 10.
The Commission did not specify the form of the future proposal, the age limit it might include, or the obligations that would fall on platforms and member states.
The spokesperson for the Commission for digital affairs, Thomas Regnier, stated that the European executive is analyzing the recommendations received by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, from the special group on online child safety.
"Once we have analyzed these recommendations, we will present a proposal from the Commission after the summer," Regnier said at the press briefing on July 23.
The Commission did not specify whether the future initiative will propose a common minimum age for access to social networks, a European age verification system, or additional obligations for platforms. The legal form of the proposal and an exact date for its presentation have not been announced either.
Regnier stated that the European executive is pursuing a common and harmonized approach, as the risks for minors are not limited to a single member state.
"Online child protection knows no borders. This is not a challenge limited to France and French children. We must continue to work towards a solution and a common and harmonized European approach," the spokesperson stated.
The clarifications were provided in the context of the French Parliament adopting measures regarding access for children under 15 years old to social platforms. The Commission welcomed the direction pursued by the French authorities but has not completed the evaluation of the law.
The European executive had previously sent France a detailed opinion requesting alignment of the project with Union law, especially with the Digital Services Regulation. Regnier said that the evaluation is still ongoing and that the suspension period associated with the European procedure ends on August 10.
"We welcome the measures taken by the French authorities regarding this law," Regnier stated, describing the development as positive for the protection of children in the online environment. However, he avoided commenting on the final compliance of the text before the analysis is completed.
The Digital Services Regulation allows member states to establish certain conditions regarding minors' access to online services through national legislation. However, national measures must respect the European framework and not introduce obligations that conflict with the harmonized rules applicable to platforms throughout the Union.
The upcoming European proposal will be prepared in parallel with the implementation of already existing obligations for platforms. Online services accessible to minors must ensure a high level of confidentiality, safety, and security and cannot use profiling-based advertising when they know with sufficient certainty that the user is a minor.
The Commission did not indicate whether the announced proposal will modify these rules or create a separate framework. From the responses provided, it results that the European executive is still in the stage of analyzing the recommendations and defining the intervention.
The Commission created the special group on online minors' protection to formulate recommendations aimed at a broader European approach to children's access to platforms, age verification, and reducing risks associated with digital services.
The Digital Services Regulation imposes additional obligations on platforms when their services are used by minors. Very large platforms must analyze systemic risks to the physical and mental well-being of children and take measures to mitigate them.
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