EU ministers to debate stronger protections for children online
The informal council meeting, hosted by the Danish Minister for Digital Affairs, Caroline Stage, under the Danish EU Presidency, will take place on 10 October.
On 9–10 October, EU digital ministers will gather in Horsens, Denmark, to discuss how to better protect minors in the digital world. The meeting will focus on child safety on social media, age-verification measures, and the broader issue of digital sovereignty.
The informal council meeting, hosted by the Danish Minister for Digital Affairs, Caroline Stage, under the Danish EU Presidency, will take place on 10 October. Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy of the European Commission, Henna Virkkunen, will also attend. These informal meetings, held every six months, allow ministers to deliberate on priorities before the European Commission drafts new proposals.
Key topics include preventing children from accessing platforms for which they are too young, and reducing exposure to harmful online features such as addictive designs or inappropriate adult content. Ministers are also expected to discuss how the EU can enhance its digital independence and competitiveness under the banner of digital sovereignty.
Why does it matter?
The meeting aims to lay the groundwork for the Commission’s forthcoming proposal for the Digital Fairness Act. A joint ministerial declaration, titled ‘The Jutland Declaration: Shaping a Safe Online World for Minors,’ is being prepared as a concrete outcome. This declaration is expected to stress the importance of effective age verification and highlight the need for stronger EU-level action to ensure safer online environments for children.
