Protecting children in the digital world

When the EU's ministers in charge of audiovisual matters met on 29 November, they adopted conclusions aimed at improving the safety of minors' digital experience. Different actors were called upon to contribute towards achieving this goal, with measures ranging from awareness-raising campaigns to support for law enforcement authorities.

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Today's average child begins exploring the online world at age 7. At twice that age, three children out of four have a profile on one of the social networking sites. Underlining that "a safe media environment for minors is necessary and should be based on principles of human dignity, safety and respect for private life", the Council's conclusions stressed the need to educate both children and their parents and teachers about how to minimise risks and to cope with problems that may arise.

Also, ministers invited the audiovisual industry to take account of the need to protect minors when designing products and services; this would include, among other things, the development of technical solutions - e.g. dedicated search engines and parental control tools - and the use of appropriate privacy settings as a default when children join a social network.

In addition, the Council advocated enhanced cooperation, also with third countries, concerning illegal and harmful internet content, and further implementation by 2013 of hotlines for reporting such content.

More information:
Council conclusions on the protection of children in the digital world (pdf)
Press release (pdf)
Press conference webcast