Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

AddedAV. whereas exposure to such features is driven by deliberate targeting by online platforms and exacerbated by algorithms that can boost harmful content, and must therefore be subject to risk assessments and transparency obligations under the DSA and the AI Act;

AddedAW. whereas certain digital practices undermine consumer autonomy by manipulating choice architecture, including through deceptive default settings, false urgency and misleading interface design;

AddedAX. whereas the Commission has committed to a Digital Fairness Act in order to tackle unethical practices, including dark patterns, influencer marketing and addictive design, which exploit the vulnerabilities of consumers, including those who are minors;

AddedAY. whereas online platforms do not always provide effective safety features; whereas certain tracking and profiling practices raise serious privacy concerns; whereas tackling addictive design and dark patterns requires coordinated EU action; whereas media service providers, particularly audiovisual media services providers, are subject to more stringent obligations; whereas the level of protection of minors varies, depending on the source and location of content;

AddedAZ. whereas digital, media and AI literacy, including an understanding of algorithms and algorithmic biases, is crucial for empowering young people to make good use of digital services; whereas such literacy provides the necessary skills and tools to understand risks and opportunities, fostering critical thinking to navigate online spaces responsibly and withstand manipulation, misinformation, disinformation and profiling;

AddedBA. whereas digital and media literacy education should extend to parents, guardians, educators, youth workers and social service providers, who often lack the support and training to address these issues; whereas such training should incorporate critical thinking, resilience and AI awareness to help young people manage online interactions;

AddedBB. whereas school-wide approaches to digital balance, including clear policies on smartphone use, can create calmer learning environments, protect students’ attention and strengthen social cohesion; whereas the ability to consciously disengage from digital tools is recognised in the European Digital Competence Framework for Citizens (DigComp 2.2) as a core competence for well-being and safety, supporting concentration, healthy sleep and social connection;

AddedBC. whereas digital citizenship education is essential for equipping young people with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate responsibly and critically in democratic life; whereas this supports resilience against disinformation, hate speech and manipulation online while strengthening democratic engagement, informed trust in institutions, fundamental rights and shared European values;

General principles

Change 4

Changed1. Stresses that addressing the impact of social media on young people requires aan unifiedintegrated strategyEuropean combiningstrategy, safety-by-design,which combines safety and privacy-by-design, safety by-default, age-appropriate design, algorithmic transparency,transparency and privacy-first age assurance,verification mechanisms, and which strengthens mental well-being, digital literacy,and media literacy that involves families, schools and educators, and participatory governance and evidence-based evaluation to ensure equal protection and empowerment for all;

Change 5

ChangedCurrent EU legal framework

Change 6

Changed2. Stresses the need to ensure effective and coherent implementation, enforcement, consistency and complementarity across key EU legal instruments, such as the General DataAVMSD, Protectionthe Regulation,GDPR, the AVMSD,DSA, the DSA andUCPD, the ArtificialDigital IntelligenceMarkets Act, the AI Act and the forthcoming Digital Fairness Act,Act (DFA), in order to build aan unifiedintegrated framework for protecting children online; calls for the alignment of national measures so as to prevent the fragmentation of child protection in the EU, and to strengthen cooperation and information sharing between national competent authorities and the Commission;

Change 7

RemovedNext revision of the AVMSD

Added3. Stresses the need to allocate adequate resources, in the context of the 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework, in order to guarantee that the competent authorities and the services within the Commission in charge of implementing and enforcing the relevant digital legislation, have the necessary resources to effectively carry out their work; urges the Member States to increase financial and human resources for Digital Services Coordinators, the European Board for Media Services and other national competent authorities, in order to ensure the effective implementation and enforcement of the relevant EU legislation; stresses the need to provide the staff of the competent authorities dealing with harmful and illegal content with a well-defined framework, and psychological support and assistance;

Removed3. Considers the upcoming revision of the AVMSD a timely opportunity to strengthen the protection of young people against harmful content on video-sharing platforms (VSPs) and social media;

Added4. Stresses the importance of the timely appointment of Digital Services Coordinators in all Member States, as a prerequisite for the effective implementation of the DSA; notes, in this regard, the infringement proceedings initiated against some of the Member States; calls on the Commission to support the effective and consistent implementation of the DSA across all Member States, including through guidance, coordination and monitoring and, when necessary, by applying fines and corrective actions, while ensuring a harmonised approach and avoiding market fragmentation;

Removed4. Calls on the Commission to assess whether current AVMSD definitions fully cover relevant audiovisual media services, especially those provided by influencers and professional content creators on VSPs;

Added5. Calls on the Commission, the European Board for Digital Services and the competent national authorities, particularly the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network, to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of measures taken to protect minors on online platforms, while ensuring coordinated enforcement against unfair, misleading or aggressive commercial practices, including social media and influencer marketing, in cases where risks are clearly identified;

Removed5. Stresses the need to consider extending key AVMSD provisions, such as those on advertising transparency and the protection of minors, to major VSPs; underlines that aligning platform responsibilities with those of media service providers would help to close regulatory gaps affecting young audiences;

AddedAudiovisual Media Services Directive

RemovedAIA

Added6. Reiterates that the AVMSD acknowledges the protection of minors as an important policy objective of the EU and contains key provisions, such as Article 28b(1), (2) and (3), to safeguard the better protection of minors online, in particular on video-sharing platforms (VSPs); highlights that the AVMSD requires VSPs to take appropriate measures to protect minors from content that may harm their physical, mental or moral development, e.g. through age verification and parental control tools, and to ensure the protection of the general public from illegal content, as well as harmful and illegal commercial communications; reiterates, furthermore, that VSPs must inform users where content contains advertising, by providing a functionality allowing users to declare such information, and must provide effective media literacy measures and tools;

Removed6. Stresses that AI-driven youth-facing services, such as chatbots, personalisation engines and algorithmic content filters, present new risks of bias, manipulation and privacy intrusions, reinforcing the necessity of enforcing the Artificial Intelligence Act’s obligations on transparency, risk assessment and the safeguarding of children’s rights;

Added7. Considers the upcoming revision of the AVMSD a timely opportunity to strengthen the protection of young people against illegal and harmful content on VSPs, including social media platforms, notably by specifying the obligations under Article 28b; stresses, also, the need to reinforce provisions ensuring the prominence of media services of general interest, including by clarifying that such prominence rules can also apply to VSPs to promote access to trustworthy, high-quality and age-appropriate online content; calls, furthermore, for this revision to consider targeted and proportionate measures for detecting, reporting and preventing live streams containing violence, humiliation, incitement to self-harm or other forms of harmful content; underscores the need to evaluate the obligations set out in the AVMSD for Member States to promote and take measures to develop media literacy skills, and determine if such measures need to be further reinforced and expanded;

Removed[Section for IMCO opinion]

Added8. Calls, furthermore, on platform operators hosting live streams, including of video-game content, to require streamers to explicitly label when content includes gambling-like mechanisms, real-money wagering or other age-restricted elements; urges platforms to implement protective defaults for users who are likely to be minors, such as blurring before showing adult-flagged streams, hiding donation or paid gambling overlays from minors’ accounts, and reducing the discoverability of adult-flagged streams on the feeds of minors’ accounts, while ensuring that such measures are proportionate and respect freedom of expression;

Removed7. Welcomes the July 2025 Commission guidelines pursuant to Article 28 DSA as a key step in strengthening child protection online, particularly on VSPs and social media, offering practical tools to help platforms and regulators apply the DSA rules effectively;

Added9. Calls on the Commission to assess whether current AVMSD definitions fully cover relevant audiovisual media services, especially those provided by influencers and professional content creators on VSPs; requests, in this regard, clarification on the status and responsibilities of such creators to ensure they are subject to the same obligations on advertising transparency and protection of minors as media service providers; calls, furthermore, on the Commission to assess the 2020 Commission guidelines on the practical application of the essential functionality criterion of the definition of a ‘video-sharing platform service’ under the AVMSD, evaluating whether it is fit for purpose in covering all services providing audiovisual media content and their obligations to protect minors online;

Removed[Section for LIBE opinion]

Added10. Stresses the need to assess the implementation of the AVMSD and consider extending its key provisions, such as those on advertising transparency and the protection of minors, to major VSPs; underlines that aligning VSPs’ responsibilities with those of media service providers would help to close regulatory gaps affecting young audiences;

Removed8. Recalls that tackling online sexual abuse and exploitation is essential to addressing the impact of social media on young people; stresses the importance of reinforcing the legal framework and recognises the recast of Directive 2011/93/EU10 as a key measure for strengthening child protection online;

AddedDigital Services Act

RemovedMental health and well-being

Added11. Welcomes the July 2025 Commission guidelines pursuant to Article 28(4) DSA as a key step in strengthening child protection online, particularly on VSPs and social media, offering practical measures for Digital Services Coordinators and the Commission to enforce the DSA rules effectively, and calls on online platforms to implement high levels of privacy, safety and security for minors online; calls on online platforms to ensure, and calls on the Commission to monitor, the swift implementation of the guidelines; urges, in particular, the simplification of terms and conditions, the implementation of clear, simple and easy-to-use reporting processes, and the provision of appropriate, child-friendly, confidential guidance for younger users on all available tools for privacy, reporting and data protection; stresses the need for privacy-preserving age verification; notes that although the guidelines are not binding, the Commission will use them to evaluate compliance with Article 28(1) DSA; calls for their regular review to address, where appropriate, emerging issues, with additional steps to be taken at EU level, following an assessment by the Commission’s expert group;

Removed9. Encourages awareness-raising campaigns targeting young people, families and schools, similar to initiatives such as Safer Internet Day, to prevent digital addiction, foster peer support skills and encourage healthier social media habits;

Added12. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure the cohesive and synchronised implementation of the AVMSD and the DSA for the protection of minors on VSPs and on social media platforms, and to examine the coherence and clarity of their application for audiovisual content, bearing in mind the need to ensure an adequate level of protection for users of VSPs;

RemovedProtection of minors, harmful content and age verification

Added13. Urges the Commission to clarify the interplay between existing legislation regulating dark patterns, such as the UCPD and the DSA, and to consider reviewing the list of unfair commercial practices under Annex I to the UCPD, in order to close further legal gaps;

Removed10. Stresses the need for effective and privacy-respecting age verification and parental controls; calls, in that regard, for interoperable age assurance systems, linked to the EU Digital Identity Wallet, that verify a user’s age without collecting or retaining personal data;

AddedGeneral Data Protection Regulation

Removed11. Urges online platforms to take greater responsibility for protecting minors from harmful or manipulative content, by ensuring proactive moderation, default safety measures and algorithmic adjustments to prevent exposure to addictive or deceitful content;

AddedData protection and the right to privacy

Added14. Recalls that the GDPR forms the cornerstone of data protection in the EU, laying down strong safeguards and obligations for the processing of personal data, including important principles such as purpose limitation, data accuracy, data minimisation and accountability, as well as key rights such as the right to erasure (‘right to be forgotten’) enshrined in Article 17 GDPR, while granting children a particularly high level of protection;

Added15. Stresses that existing GDPR instruments should be duly implemented by service providers; calls for their reinforcement via the application of explicit age-appropriate standards: default maximum privacy settings; the prohibition of targeted profiling of, or advertising to, minors, including for political advertising; minimalist data collection; and terms and conditions explained in a way that minors can understand; encourages the development of guidelines and best practices for safe default settings for minors, including measures such as the deactivation of the ‘autoplay’ function, limitations to infinite scrolling, the enabling of a ‘reset feed’ option, the setting of time limits, periodic prompts to take a break and the restriction of notifications, in order to ensure the digital well-being of children and young people;

Added16. Urges the Member States to allocate sufficient resources to data protection and consumer protection authorities, in order to effectively investigate and sanction practices that use the personal data of minors, in violation of EU law;

Added17. Asks the Commission to evaluate existing gaps in the prohibition of targeted advertising, and to consider a comprehensive ban, in order to eliminate a major driver of manipulative design and behavioural profiling;

Added18. Regrets that, since the GDPR’s entry into force, many providers have inadequately implemented its requirements; underlines the urgent need for stronger enforcement of the GDPR and to consider additional guidance, by Member States’ data protection authorities and the Commission, on its application to AI systems targeting or accessible to minors; recalls that AI systems must ensure that, in line with the GDPR, users can easily exercise their right to have personal data erased, including personal data inferred;

Added19. Calls on the Commission to ensure the enforcement of existing transparency obligations, under the GDPR and the DSA, regarding data permission for accessing photos or automatic location sharing, which may increase the risk of privacy violations and stalking, disproportionately affecting women and girls;

AddedUpcoming Digital Fairness Act

Added20. Welcomes the Commission’s fitness check of EU consumer law on digital fairness; calls on the Commission, within the framework of the forthcoming DFA, to identify and close existing relevant regulatory gaps, particularly regarding addictive and manipulative design features of digital services, including dark patterns, personalised advertising practices, neuromarketing, loot boxes, in-app currencies in video games and unfair commercial practices by influencers; stresses that the main objective of the new legislative initiative should be to strengthen the protection of children and young users online, while avoiding overlaps with existing legislation; stresses the need for dedicated research into neuromarketing and its effects on children and young people; calls on the Commission to ensure that the forthcoming DFA addresses this issue;

AddedAI Act

Added21. Recognises the potential of AI to enhance learning, creativity and entrepreneurship among young people, including through personalised guidance, innovation in the arts and media, and access to new forms of economic participation;

Added22. Stresses that minors’ increasing ease of access to, and use of, generative AI tools, including AI tools specifically designed for minors, and AI-driven youth-facing services, such as chatbots, personalisation engines, recommender systems, deepfake technologies and algorithmic content filters, present new risks to children’s mental health and cognitive and social development, due to integrated bias, manipulation or purposely manipulative techniques, privacy intrusion, and the spread of misinformation;

Added23. Calls on the Commission to enforce the AI Act’s obligations, specifically on transparency, including by watermarking and labelling AI-generated content, and calls on online platforms to implement swift procedures for the removal of falsified or harmful content; underlines, furthermore, the need for protective default settings against engagement-driven design in such services and for explanations of how automated systems work;

AddedEmotional companions

Added24. Highlights the risks posed by ‘AI companions’ that simulate virtual friendships, warning that they can exploit minors’ emotional vulnerability, foster dependency and harvest sensitive psychological data; recalls that the AI Act prohibits, under certain conditions, AI systems capable of deploying manipulative techniques or exploiting the vulnerabilities of natural persons; warns that interactions with these tools, in a number of cases, have contributed to suicides; stresses the need for clear regulation and mandatory ethical standards on the design and use of these systems in order to prevent manipulation, including prominent disclosures that the interlocutor is an AI, default safety modes for minors, requirements to direct users expressing self-harm ideation to helplines, strict age-verification mechanisms for chat interfaces and to ensure that those safeguards specifically consider girls’ increased exposure to emotional manipulation and grooming; calls on the Commission to assess the impact of these technologies in the framework of any future strategy for the digital safety of children and to bring forward, if necessary, an EU code of conduct on conversational AI for minors;

AddedAI systems integrated into toys and smart devices

Added25. Recalls that AI systems integrated into toys and smart devices for children are classified as high-risk under the AI Act when they are safety components, or when those systems are the toy itself; stresses that these systems are often used without an adequate understanding of the risks involved; notes that, where such AI is used, it must comply with strict requirements regarding transparency, data governance, safety and oversight;

AddedSocial risks relating to AI-generated content

Added26. Calls on the Member States and online platforms to ensure that AI product evaluation and labelling frameworks adequately reflect the impact on young users’ rights and their mental health; calls on online platforms to carry out dedicated child and youth impact reviews for AI systems likely to affect minors, in line with the best interests of the child; urges the Member States and the Commission to ensure that AI risk classification mechanisms and risk management obligations under the AI Act and the DSA systematically take into account the impact on young users’ rights, mental health and social inclusion, including through mandatory child-focused evaluations, complementing existing audit and redress mechanisms;