EU seeks feedback on new guidelines to protect children online under the DSA
The guidelines were developed through consultations with stakeholders, including children, civil society, academia, and the European Board for Digital Services. A final version is expected by summer 2025.
The European Commission has released draft guidelines under the Digital Services Act (DSA) to enhance the online protection of minors and is now seeking public feedback until 10 June 2025. These guidelines are designed to help platforms – excluding micro and small enterprises – ensure strong privacy, safety, and security measures for children, based on a risk-based and privacy-by-design approach.
Platforms are encouraged to adopt measures such as private-by-default settings for children’s accounts, age assurance tools to limit exposure to harmful content, safer content recommendation systems, and enhanced user controls to prevent unwanted contact and reduce cyberbullying. These recommendations aim to strike a balance between safety and children’s rights to expression and access to information.
The guidelines were developed through consultations with stakeholders, including children, civil society, academia, and the European Board for Digital Services. A final version is expected by summer 2025.
Alongside these guidelines, the Commission is developing a privacy-preserving age verification app to bridge the gap until the EU Digital Identity Wallet becomes available in 2026. A beta version and technical documentation are already accessible on GitHub.
Additionally, the Commission is preparing a separate proposal for a Digital Fairness Act to address further digital challenges affecting minors not fully covered by the DSA.
