Horizon Scan: Children’s Online Safety and Privacy (EU and Beyond)
The European Commission is preparing to release a proposal on minors' access to social media, part of a broader push to move children's online safety and privacy higher on the EU's digital policy agenda. The proposal is expected to build on recommendations from the Commission's Special Panel on child safety online.
Why this matters: If the EU sets real limits on how platforms treat children, it affects product design everywhere — not just in Europe. Companies tend to build one version of a product and push it globally. Rules here could quietly reshape what kids see, what data gets collected, and how old you have to be to use a service. The hard part is always enforcement. Proposals are easy. What matters is whether platforms actually change behavior or just add a checkbox.
Who should care: General readers · Privacy officers · Policy
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