EU, Australia and UK regulators commit to joint action on children’s online safety

The European Commission, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner and the UK’s communications regulator Ofcom have agreed to strengthen cooperation on protecting children online, issuing a joint communication outlining shared priorities and new areas for coordination. The announcement follows a high-level roundtable involving senior officials from the three bodies, all of which oversee some of the world’s most advanced online-safety regimes.

Coordinated international approach to protecting minors

The partners state that children’s online safety can only be effectively addressed through coordinated action, as young people use digital platforms that operate across borders. While each region has its own legal framework, including the EU’s Digital Services Act, the UK’s Online Safety Act and Australia’s Online Safety Act, the three regulators say that aligning approaches where possible will support stronger protections globally.

Their joint communication sets out a shared goal: ensuring that children have safe, inclusive and empowering access to digital technologies, with access to tools that support digital skills, media literacy and critical thinking.

Focus on age assurance and platform accountability

A key outcome of the agreement is the creation of a joint group on age assurance, which will allow regulators to exchange technical knowledge and explore privacy-preserving methods for verifying user age. Age-assurance technologies are used to determine whether a user is a child without requiring unnecessary personal information. The group will also look at evidence gaps, research needs and the potential for coordinated technical standards.

For the EU, the initiative builds on the Commission’s ongoing work toward an EU-wide age-verification blueprint, aimed at developing a trusted, interoperable solution that protects both children’s and adults’ privacy.

The three regulators also underline the need for digital-platform operators to make measurable improvements to the safety of children’s online experiences. This includes proactive detection and removal of illegal or harmful content, and well-informed design choices to mitigate risks such as addictive features or exposure to harmful recommendation pathways.

Links to existing enforcement and safety actions

During the meeting, the European Commission highlighted recent enforcement measures under the Digital Services Act (DSA), including investigations into online sales of drugs, vapes and other illegal products to minors, as well as efforts to prevent ‘rabbit-hole’ recommendation patterns that expose children to harmful material such as content promoting eating disorders.

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner and the UK’s Ofcom shared similar priorities, reflecting their own domestic regulatory responsibilities, which include safety-by-design initiatives and new compliance requirements for online platforms.

Strengthening global protections for children

By formalising cooperation, the EU, UK and Australia aim to build a common understanding around technical standards, evidence-based policy and regulatory enforcement. The joint communication signals an intention to continue aligning where appropriate, while respecting differences in legal systems.

The agreement illustrates a growing international trend: treating children’s online safety as a global challenge that requires shared frameworks, consistent expectations for platforms and ongoing technical research.