In a statement, the European Commission’s Vice-President for Digital Sovereignty, Henna Virkkunen, said that “the safety of children online is a priority”.

“The proposal we published today [13 May], under the Digital Services Act, will help create a safe digital environment for the youngest users,” she said.

The public consultation, which will run until 10 June 2025, wants to know the opinion of civil society and non-governmental organisations, legislators and other stakeholders on measures to reduce the risk and exposure of children to “dangerous content”, namely the imposition of private social media accounts for children, reporting channels that are easier and more intuitive for minors, and also guidelines for digital platforms.

At the same time, the EU executive created a database to “strengthen digital security” under the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, which aims to improve cybersecurity in “critical sectors such as energy, transport and health”.