Filenews 17 February 2026 - by Evangelia Sizopoulou
The challenges and dangers of the internet, which millions of children in the world face every day, have recently sounded the alarm in many countries.
From addiction to the dangerous - for their physical integrity and for their lives - challenges but also from the increasing and worrying phenomena of cyberbullying to child abuse, various countries have taken decisions on significant restrictions and bans mainly on the use of social media by minors.
So far, the measures that have seen the light of day mainly concern policies implemented by different countries and have extensions only at the national level. However, this seems to cause discomfort and reservation mainly at the European level, as there are estimates that the unilateral and fragmented moves on the part of some countries may not effectively address the whole situation. In particular, according to EURACTIV (an independent pan-European news network based in Brussels, which specializes in covering European Union policies and decisions), the European Commission appears wary of unilateral moves by countries, seeking a more coordinated and unified approach at the European level.
It is worth noting that last summer, the Commission gave specific guidelines for the protection of minors with regard to the use of the internet.
The main recommendations concern:
>> Setting up minors' private accounts by default so that their personal information, data, and social media content are hidden from those they are not connected to to reduce the risk of unwanted contact from strangers.
>> Modify the recommendation systems of platforms to reduce the risk of children encountering harmful content.
>> Empowering children to be able to block and silence any user and ensure that they cannot be added to groups without their explicit consent.
>> Prohibiting accounts from downloading or taking screenshots of content posted by minors to prevent unwanted distribution of sexual or personal content and sexual extortion.
With regard to the current data on the possibility of uniform European restrictions and what measures are on the table, the information transmitted mainly concerns: a) Digital age verification, horizontal age-based prohibition, verified parental consent, age-appropriate planning, market access restrictions and sanctions, criminal liability of executives and codes of conduct and independent audits.
