Children's rights Archives | Digital Watch Observatory

EU launches panel on child safety online and social media age rules

The European Commission has convened a new expert panel tasked with examining how children can be better protected across digital platforms, including social media, gaming environments and AI tools.

The initiative reflects growing concern across Europe regarding the psychological and safety risks associated with young users’ online behaviour.

Announced during the 2025 State of the Union Address by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the panel will evaluate evidence on both the opportunities and harms linked to children’s digital engagement.

Specialists from health, computer science, child rights and digital literacy will work alongside youth representatives to assess current research and policy responses.

Discussions during the first meeting centred on platform responsibility, including age-appropriate safety-by-design features, algorithmic amplification and addictive product design.

An initiative that also addresses digital literacy for children, parents and educators, while considering how regulatory measures can reduce risks without undermining the benefits of online participation.

The panel’s work complements the enforcement of the Digital Services Act and related European policies designed to strengthen protections for minors online.

Among the tools under development is an EU age-verification application currently tested in several member states, intended to support privacy-preserving checks compatible with the future EU digital identity framework.

The panel is expected to deliver policy recommendations to the Commission by summer 2026.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

China strengthens online safeguards for minors

Chinese authorities have introduced new rules to classify online content that could affect the health and well-being of minors. Set to take effect on 1 March, the measures aim to adapt to a rapidly evolving internet landscape.

Top government bodies, including those in cyberspace, education, publishing, film, culture, tourism, public security, and radio and television, jointly released the initiative. Together, they outlined four categories of content that could negatively impact minors and specified their key characteristics.

Recent issues, such as the misuse of minors’ images, have been integrated into the regulatory framework. Authorities also established preventive guidelines to manage risks from emerging technologies, including algorithmic recommendations and generative AI.

Internet platforms and content producers are now required to take both proactive and corrective measures against harmful content. The rules emphasise that platforms must monitor, block, or remove information that could affect minors’ well-being.

The Cyberspace Administration of China pledged to continue purifying the online environment. Authorities will urge platforms to assume their primary responsibilities and strengthen governance of content affecting young users, aiming to create a safer and healthier digital space for children.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Council of Europe issues new guidance on AI and gender equality

Ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March, the Council of Europe adopted two new recommendations addressing gender equality and the prevention of violence against women in the context of emerging technologies.

One recommendation targets the design and use of AI to prevent discrimination, while the other focuses on accountability for technology-facilitated violence against women and girls.

The AI recommendation advises member states on preventing discrimination throughout the lifecycle of AI systems, from development to deployment and retirement. It highlights risks like gender bias while promoting transparency, explainability, and safeguards.

Special attention is given to discrimination based on gender, race, and sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (SOGIESC).

The second recommendation sets the first international standard for addressing technology-facilitated violence against women. It outlines strategies to overcome impunity, including clearer legal frameworks, accessible reporting systems, and victim-centred approaches.

Emphasis is placed on multistakeholder engagement, trauma-informed policies, and safety-by-design in technology products to prevent digital harm.

Both recommendations reinforce the importance of combining regulation, institutional support, and public awareness to ensure technology advances equality rather than perpetuates harm.

The formal launch is scheduled for 10 June 2026 at the Palais de l’Europe in Strasbourg during an event titled ‘From standards to action: making accountability for technology-facilitated violence against women and girls a reality.’

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

China expands oversight of youth online safety

China has introduced new measures to regulate online information that could affect the physical and mental health of minors. Authorities in China said the rules will take effect on 1 March and aim to improve protection for young internet users.

The regulators identified four categories of online information that may harm minors. The authorities have also addressed emerging risks linked to algorithmic recommendations and generative AI technologies.

The framework in China requires internet platforms and content creators to prevent and respond to harmful material. Regulators said companies must strengthen the monitoring and governance of content affecting minors.

Authorities said the measures are designed to create a cleaner online environment for children. Officials also stressed greater responsibility for platforms that manage digital content used by minors.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

OpenAI upgrades ChatGPT conversations with GPT-5.3 Instant

The most widely used ChatGPT model has received an update from OpenAI, introducing GPT-5.3 Instant to make everyday conversations more coherent, useful, and natural.

An upgrade that focuses on improving tone, contextual understanding, and the flow of dialogue rather than only benchmark performance.

One of the main improvements concerns how the model handles refusals and safety responses. Earlier versions sometimes declined questions that could have been answered safely or delivered overly cautious explanations before responding.

GPT-5.3 Instant instead gives more direct answers while still maintaining safety constraints, reducing interruptions that previously slowed conversations.

The update also improves the way ChatGPT uses information from the web. Instead of simply summarising search results or presenting long lists of links, the model now integrates online information with its own reasoning.

Such an approach aims to produce more relevant answers that highlight key insights at the beginning of responses.

Reliability has also improved. Internal evaluations conducted by OpenAI show reductions in hallucination rates across multiple domains.

When using web sources, hallucinations dropped by roughly 26.8 percent in higher-risk fields such as medicine, law, and finance. Improvements were also recorded when the model relied only on its internal knowledge.

Beyond factual accuracy, the model is designed to feel more natural in conversation. OpenAI says the system now avoids overly preachy language, unnecessary disclaimers, and intrusive remarks that previously disrupted dialogue.

The goal is a more consistent conversational personality across updates, while maintaining the familiar user experience of ChatGPT.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

EU citizens propose public social media network under new initiative

The European Commission has registered a European Citizens’ Initiative proposing the creation of a public social media platform operating at the European level, rather than relying exclusively on private technology companies.

An initiative titled the European Public Social Network calls for legislation establishing a publicly funded digital platform designed to serve societal interests.

Organisers argue that a publicly owned network could function independently from commercial incentives and political pressure while guaranteeing equal rights for users across the EU. The proposed platform would operate as a public service overseen by society rather than private corporations.

Registration confirms that the proposal meets the legal requirements of the European Citizens’ Initiative framework. The Commission has not yet assessed the substance of the idea, and registration does not imply support for the proposal.

Supporters must now gather 1 million signatures from citizens across at least 7 EU member states within 12 months. If the threshold is reached, the Commission will be required to formally examine the initiative and decide whether legislative action is appropriate.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Australia reviews children’s social media ban

Australia has begun reviewing its ban on social media accounts for children under 16, introduced in December 2025. Australia’s eSafety Commissioner is tracking more than 4,000 children and families to assess how the policy works in practice.

Researchers in Australia will analyse surveys, interviews and voluntary smartphone data to measure how young people interact with apps. Officials in Australia aim to understand how the ban affects children, parents and everyday online behaviour.

Early reactions in Australia have been mixed, with some teenagers telling media outlets they bypass age verification systems. Platforms reportedly remain accessible to some minors in Australia.

Meanwhile, the UK government has launched a public consultation on potential social media restrictions for children. Policymakers in the UK are seeking views on bans, stronger age verification and limits on addictive platform features.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

EU considers placing Roblox under strict Digital Services Act rules

European regulators are examining whether Roblox should fall under the Digital Services Act’s most stringent obligations rather than remain outside the bloc’s most demanding platform rules.

The European Commission began analysing the gaming platform’s reported user figures after the company disclosed roughly 48 million monthly users across the EU.

Numbers above the threshold could qualify Roblox as a Very Large Online Platform under the DSA. Such a designation would mark the first time a gaming platform enters the category alongside social media services already subject to heightened oversight.

Platforms receiving the label must conduct regular risk assessments, submit mitigation reports and demonstrate stronger safeguards for minors.

Regulatory pressure has already begun at the national level. The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets launched an investigation in January after concerns that children could encounter violent or sexually explicit content within Roblox games or interact with harmful actors through online features.

Designation at the EU level would transfer supervisory authority to the European Commission, enabling wider investigations and potential fines if violations occur. Officials are still verifying user data before making a formal decision, and no deadline has been announced for the process.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Parliament deadlock leaves EU chat-scanning extension in doubt

The civil liberties committee failed to secure majority backing for its amended report on extending the EU’s temporary chat-scanning rules instead of giving a clear negotiating position.

Members of Parliament reviewed the amendments on Monday, but the final text did not garner sufficient support, leaving the proposal without endorsement as the adoption deadline approaches.

A proposal to extend the current derogation that allows tech companies to voluntarily scan their services for Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).

The existing regime expires in April 2026 and was intended only as a stopgap while a permanent Child Sexual Abuse Regulation was developed. Years of stalled negotiations have led to the temporary rules being extended twice since 2021.

Council has already approved its position without changes to the Commission proposal, creating a tight timeline for Parliament.

With trilogue talks finally underway, institutions would need to conclude discussions unusually quickly to prevent the legal basis from expiring. If no agreement is reached by April, companies would lose their ability to scan services under the EU law.

The committee confirmed that the file will now move to plenary in the week of 9–12 March, where political groups may table new amendments. An outcome that will determine whether the temporary regime remains in place while negotiations on the permanent system continue.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Europe pressed to slow digital age-verification push amid privacy fears

Hundreds of academics urged governments to halt plans for mandatory age checks on social media, rather than accelerating deployment without assessing the risks.

The warning arrives as several European states consider restrictions on children’s access to online platforms and as companies promote verification tools such as live selfies or uploads of government-issued IDs.

Researchers argue that current systems expose people to privacy breaches, security vulnerabilities and malicious sites that ignore verification rules instead of offering meaningful protection.

They say scientific consensus has not yet formed on the benefits or harms of age-assurance technologies, making large-scale implementation premature and potentially discriminatory.

The letter stresses that any credible system would require cryptographic safeguards for every query, protecting data in transit rather than leaving identity checks to platforms without robust technical guarantees.

Academics believe such infrastructure would be complex to build globally and would create friction that many providers may refuse to adopt.

Concern escalated after early deployments in Italy and France, where verification is already mandatory.

Signatories, including Ronald Rivest and Bart Preneel, warn that governments risk introducing a socially unacceptable system that increases exposure to data misuse instead of ensuring children’s safety online.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Children’s rights