Internet child – Image by Caliroi on Pexels
(BRUSSELS) – The EU adopted Wednesday a new European strategy for ‘a Better Internet for Kids’, aiming to improve age-appropriate digital services and ensure every child is protected, empowered and respected online.
In the past ten years, digital technologies and the way children use them have changed dramatically. Most children use their smartphones daily and almost twice as much compared to ten years ago. They also use them from a much younger age (see EU Kids online 2020). Modern devices bring opportunities and benefits, allowing children to interact with others, learn online and be entertained. But these gains are not without risks, such as the dangers of exposure to disinformation, cyberbullying (see JRC study) or to harmful and illegal content, from which children need to be sheltered.
The new European strategy for a Better Internet for Kids aims for accessible, age-appropriate and informative online content and services that are in children’s best interests.
“With the new strategy, we want to support access to digital devices and skills for children,” said EC vice-president Margrethe Vestager, “especially those in vulnerable situations, fight cyberbullying, and protect all children from harmful and illegal online content.”
The new European strategy for a Better Internet for Kids is the digital arm of the Commission’s comprehensive EU strategy on the rights of the child and reflects the digital principle ‘Children and young people should be protected and empowered online’.
It has been adopted today together with a proposal for new EU legislation to protect children against sexual abuse.
Moreover, the strategy follows the recent landmark provisional political agreement on the Digital Services Act (DSA), which contains new safeguards for the protection of minors and prohibits online platforms from displaying targeted advertising based on profiling to minors.
These matters were also given prominence in the Conference on the Future of Europe, where the European Citizens Panel dealing with Values and Rights called for increased protection of minors online. This was endorsed up by the Conference Plenary and is included in a Proposal contained in the Final Report of the Conference that was presented to the Presidents of the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission.
The new European strategy for a Better Internet for Kids sets out the vision for a Digital Decade for children and youth, based on three key pillars:
Safe digital experiences, protecting children from harmful and illegal online content, conduct, and risks and improving their well-being through a safe, age-appropriate digital environment.
To make the digital world a safe place for children and young people, the Commission will facilitate an EU code for age-appropriate design and request a European standard on online age verification by 2024. It will also explore how to use the planned European Digital Identity wallet for age verification, support the swift reporting of illegal and harmful content and ensure the single harmonised number ‘116 111’ provides assistance to victims of cyberbullying, by 2023.
Digital empowerment so that children acquire the necessary skills and competences to make informed choices and express themselves in the online environment safely and responsibly.
In view of fostering the empowerment of children in the digital environment, the Commission will organise media literacy campaigns for children, teachers and parents, via the network of Safer Internet Centres, the backbone of the strategy. It will also provide teaching modules for teachers via the betterinternetforkids.eu portal. The network of Safer Internet Centres in Member States, active at national and local level, will strengthen support for children in vulnerable situations and help address the digital divide for skills.
Active participation, respecting children by giving them a say in the digital environment, with more child-led activities to foster innovative and creative safe digital experiences.
To increase children’s participation in the digital environment, the Commission will, for instance, support more experienced children teaching other children about online opportunities and risks, as well as organise a child-led evaluation of the strategy every two years.
To implement these key pillars, the Commission is inviting Member States and the industry to come on board and support related actions.
European strategy for a Better Internet for Kids - background guide
Factsheet: European strategy for a Better Internet for Kids
