Digital Services Act

In October 2022, the European Commission launched the Digital Services Act (DSA) package – a series of rules and regulations for online platform providers aimed to create a safer digital space for all users – with some rules that are especially designed to protect minors online – where fundamental rights are respected and protected.

The DSA sets out clear due diligence obligations for online platforms and other online intermediaries. For example, under the new rules, any user will be able to flag illegal content, and will also have a clear means of contesting platforms' content moderation, both to the platform and through out-of-court mechanisms in their country. You can access the full text of the DSA here (in all official EU languages). 

DSA provisions for minors – user-friendly booklet

The Better Internet for Kids (BIK) Team has worked on a user-friendly booklet which collects and summarises, in a few pages, the main content of the articles of the DSA that focus specifically on the protection of children and young people online. The booklet was launched at Safer Internet Forum 2023 and is available on the website of the Publications Office of the European Union.

Read the user-friendly booklet below, or download the PDF here. 

The booklet will soon be translated and made available in a range of EU and non-EU languages. 

If you want to know more about the DSA provisions, visit the DSA page on Europa.eu. In addition, a DSA stakeholder event was held in June 2023. The event offered an opportunity for stakeholders to provide input to the European Commission ahead of the enforcement of the DSA, and to network with platform representatives, as well as national and EU policymakers. 

Other measures to protect minors online

In addition to the DSA, the European Commission is developing a range of measures to help protect children and young people online.

For example, in May 2022, the European Commission adopted a new European strategy for a Better Internet for Kids (also known as BIK+), to improve age-appropriate digital services and to ensure that every child is protected, empowered and respected online.

Discover more about the BIK+ strategy here, including an accessible, child-friendly version of the new BIK+ strategy (available in all EU languages and a variety of non-EU languages).