Protecting children online: The time to act is now

In today’s integer era, children are increasing up successful a world wherever societal media are arsenic integral to their regular lives arsenic schoolhouse aliases family. While exertion offers tremendous opportunities for learning, creativity, and connection, it besides exposes young group to important risks that tin nary longer beryllium overlooked. 

The consequences are profoundly concerning. According to a 2023 study by nan European Commission, 1 successful 3 young group successful nan EU spends much than 3 hours per time connected societal media.

This level of overexposure has been intimately associated pinch a increasing intelligence wellness issues among minors—including anxiety, depression, and debased self-esteem. 

A 2024 study by nan World Health Organisation showed that a problematic societal media usage among adolescents accrued from 7% successful 2018 to 11% successful 2022. It highlights antagonistic impacts connected intelligence health, sleep, well-being and world performance. 

Social media platforms – often built astir addictive algorithms – are designed to support young users engaged for extended periods.

Constant vulnerability to idealised, curated contented tin distort self-perception, fuelling feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction.

These are not conscionable statistics—they bespeak nan genuine affectional and psychological struggles faced by an full procreation that is progressively ill–equipped to navigate nan integer world successful a patient and balanced manner. 

What is it that we are asking for?

Europe has made notable advancement done initiatives for illustration nan Better Internet for Kids (BIK+) strategy and nan Digital Services Act (DSA). Yet, nan existent model remains insufficient. The online protection of children must beryllium elevated to a governmental and societal priority, underpinned by actual and enforceable action. 

We must truthful move swiftly to instrumentality a group of focused measures, starting pinch default privateness settings for children's accounts to trim nan consequence of unsolicited interaction from strangers. 

We besides asking for ecalibrated recommender systems that prioritise definitive personification feedback—such arsenic deliberate action of topics—to minimise nan consequence of children being drawn into harmful contented rabbit holes. 

We want enhanced information controls, including nan expertise for children to artifact aliases shut up immoderate personification and protection from being added to group chats without their definitive consent, thereby reducing vulnerability to cyberbullying. 

Above all, mandatory property verification mechanisms must beryllium implemented crossed each societal networks. Such measures are basal to forestall minors from bypassing property restrictions and to substantially trim their vulnerability to harmful online environments. 

The European Commission’s caller draught guidelines connected nan protection of minors nether nan DSA people a important measurement towards a safer integer space. They connection a unsocial opportunity to found property verification a a modular believe crossed societal networks—not arsenic an optional feature, but arsenic a strict  requirement. 

Enforcing property verification will equip platforms pinch nan method intends basal to uphold their ain position of service. It will besides facilitate nan enforcement of EU and nationalist laws that group minimum property requirements for entree to circumstantial integer products aliases services. 

If we are genuinely committed to ensuring that nan integer world fosters patient development, learning, and meaningful connection—rather than becoming a breeding crushed for anxiety, addiction and harm—then nan decisive action must beryllium taken now. 

Alexander Pröll, State Secretary for Digitalisation, Combating Antisemitism and Public Service, and nan Constitution, Austria; Prof Radovan Fuchs, PhD., Minister of Science, Education and Youth, Croatia; Damir Habijan, Minister of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation, Croatia; Dr Nicodemos Damianou, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Cyprus; Caroline Stage Olsen, Minister for Digital Affairs, Denmark; Clara Chappaz, Minister of Artificial intelligence and Digital Affairs, France; Elisabeth Borne, Minister of National Education, Higher Education and Research, France; Catherine Vautrin, Minister of Labour, Health, Solidarity, and Families, France; Karin Prien, Federal Minister of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, Germany; Dimitrios Papastergiou, Minister of Digital Governance, Greece; Sofia Zacharaki, Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, Greece; Patrick O’Donovan, Minister for civilization and communications, Ireland; Prof Giuseppe Valditar, Minister for Education and Merit, Italy; Alessio Butti, Undersecretary of State to nan Presidency of nan Council of Ministers, responsible for technological invention and integer transition, Italy; Elisabeth Margue, Minister for Justice and Minister attached to nan Prime Minister, responsible for nan Media and Connectivity, Luxembourg; Claude Meisch, Minister for Education, Children and Youth Affairs, Luxembourg; Tomáš Drucker, Minister of Education, Research, Development, and Youth, Slovakia; Ksenija Klampfer, Minister of Digital Transformation, Slovenia; Vinko Logaj, Minister of Education and Care, Slovenia; Oscar López Águeda, Minister for Digital and Civil Service Transformation, Spain and María del Pilar Alegría Continente, Minister for Education and Vocational Training, Spain all coauthored this sentiment article.