EU seeks to better protect children from online dangers

Pushing to better protect children online, the EU on Tuesday invited the public including parents and minors to help prepare recommendations for digital platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.

The European Union has increasingly expressed concerns about online dangers for children, with the latest alarm raised by Belgium and France over the trend of #SkinnyTok videos promoting extreme thinness.

The commission has prepared a list of draft measures that platforms could take to protect minors as part of a public consultation that will run until June 10.

It will then publish the final list of recommendations in the summer.

Suggestions include verifying a user’s age, setting children’s accounts to private by default, and modifying how content is recommended to reduce the risk of children being exposed to harmful material.

The commission also suggested making it easier for children to block and mute users, as well as making sure users can be added only with a minor’s explicit agreement, “which may contribute to reducing the risk of cyberbullying.”

“The wide range of measures will aid the different online platforms in protecting minors’ safety, security, privacy and well-being,” the EU’s digital chief, Henna Virkkunen, said in a statement.

The guidelines are part of the EU’s landmark Digital Services Act (DSA), which covers all digital platforms.

The DSA requires companies to police content online, or face hefty fines.

The EU has already opened investigations under the DSA into Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, as well as TikTok, over fears they are not doing enough to combat an addictive nature of their platforms for children.

© 2025 AFP